Penn Museum Event: King Arthur, Camelot and the Quest for a Holy Grail
On Wednesday night the Archaeology Wife and I went to this season's first archaeology lecture at the Penn Museum! This year's theme is Great Riddles in Archaeology, and this week's topic was King Arthur, Camelot and the Quest for a Holy Grail. Here's the description:
For centuries, the legend of King Arthur, Camelot and the quest for the Holy Grail has captivated the world. The Grail, usually thought to be the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, was first introduced into the Arthurian legend in the 12th or 13th century. Since then, countless authors have re-imagined the story, creating tales of adventure, romance, friendship and betrayal. But what is the truth behind the legend? Was there really a Holy Grail, and how did it find its way to Britain and the Arthurian legend? Were Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table real historical figures? What does the archaeology of this era tell us? Dr. Richard Hodges, noted Medievalist and the Williams Director of the Penn Museum, will discuss the various legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, and how modern archaeologists and historians interpret them.
This topic sounds pretty interesting until you realize that most of the content you've heard before from a History channel special you half-watched once, but it was still a good lecture. Dr. Hodges told us about Mediterranean pot sherds found in Cornwall that date to the mid 500s AD, which I definitely didn't know about before. Based on the archaeological record, King Arthur (to save you the suspense of wondering) was likely a leader of the Romanized Britons rebelling against the spread of Anglo-Saxon pioneers (who weren't warriors but rather farmer types in search of more land). I thought Dr. Hodges was at his best when he talked about the archaeology; I was less interested in his discussion of the Camelot legend in literature, since he even admitted that that's not his specialty. I would have liked a little more in-depth look at the archaeology and a little less Chretien de Troyes and Tennyson. Overall, though, a good lecture and a good start to the new year at the Museum!
For centuries, the legend of King Arthur, Camelot and the quest for the Holy Grail has captivated the world. The Grail, usually thought to be the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, was first introduced into the Arthurian legend in the 12th or 13th century. Since then, countless authors have re-imagined the story, creating tales of adventure, romance, friendship and betrayal. But what is the truth behind the legend? Was there really a Holy Grail, and how did it find its way to Britain and the Arthurian legend? Were Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table real historical figures? What does the archaeology of this era tell us? Dr. Richard Hodges, noted Medievalist and the Williams Director of the Penn Museum, will discuss the various legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, and how modern archaeologists and historians interpret them.
This topic sounds pretty interesting until you realize that most of the content you've heard before from a History channel special you half-watched once, but it was still a good lecture. Dr. Hodges told us about Mediterranean pot sherds found in Cornwall that date to the mid 500s AD, which I definitely didn't know about before. Based on the archaeological record, King Arthur (to save you the suspense of wondering) was likely a leader of the Romanized Britons rebelling against the spread of Anglo-Saxon pioneers (who weren't warriors but rather farmer types in search of more land). I thought Dr. Hodges was at his best when he talked about the archaeology; I was less interested in his discussion of the Camelot legend in literature, since he even admitted that that's not his specialty. I would have liked a little more in-depth look at the archaeology and a little less Chretien de Troyes and Tennyson. Overall, though, a good lecture and a good start to the new year at the Museum!