A site said to be frequented by legendary King Arthur has been found to be thousands of years older than first thought.
Historic England said the findings of the dig at King Arthur’s Hall were the first to confirm the site dated back to prehistoric times.
The monument on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, was previously listed as dating from the medieval period.
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But it is now believed to date back 4,000 years earlier to the Neolithic period, according to a group of specialists from UK universities.
The site is named after the mythical King Arthur who has many associations with Cornwall, as reported by Need To Know.
Phil McMahon, Inspector of Ancient Monuments at Historic England, said: “Because King Arthur’s Hall is on our Heritage at Risk Register our overall aim was to better understand the date and nature of the monument.
“So that its condition could be improved and its future management tailored to its needs.
“The news that King Arthur’s Hall is Neolithic in origin is exciting and adds significant time depth to this enigmatic site which has few parallels in England.
“It enriches the story of the monument and adds an intriguing dimension to the wider prehistory of Bodmin Moor.”
Dr Tim Kinnaird from the University of St Andrews said the findings were a revelation.
He said archaeologists would now have to re-appraise their understanding of the prehistoric landscape of Bodmin Moor.
“It’s extremely exciting that we’ve finally been able to date construction of this enigmatic monument, previously grounded in myths and legends,” he said.
“To have a definite date for King Arthurs Hall in the later fourth millennium BC is a major revelation – we now have to re-appraise our understanding of the prehistoric landscape of Bodmin Moor.”
Dr Rob Batchelor, director of Quest, an archaeological unit from the University of Reading, said: “The wild, remote landscape of Bodmin Moor has inspired centuries of legends but this extraordinary new finding shows how science can help deliver stories that are just as intriguing.
“Further analysis of these sediment cores may yet reveal more about what our Cornish ancestors were doing there and their impact on the local environment.”
James Gossip from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit said the site had been used and upgraded at various times in its history up to the medieval period.
“Knowing when King Arthur’s Hall was built will help us understand this unique monument form better how it might have originally been used and how it could have been used over time,” he said.
He said the findings would help answer questions such as whether the stones were placed there at the time of building or later in prehistory and if the site was used as an animal pound or reservoir.
Historic England said there had been speculation the site dated back to pre-historic times because of its standing stones, but the new survey was the first to confirm this.
Samples taken from the monument, including pollen, insects and parasite eggs, were radiocarbon-dated
The results were combined with other dating techniques, such as Optically Stimulated Luminescence, to give a date of between 5,500 and 5,000 years ago.
Geological examination of the standing stones suggested they came from within 820 feet of the site and were possibly dug out from the interior rather than from a distant tor Historic England said.
Pete Herring, President of the Cornwall Archaeological Society added: “The romantic-sounding 16th-century name King Arthur’s Hall tells us that there is a place regarded by the moorland community as something ancient and unfathomable like other sites attributed to Arthur.
“Science has responded to that name’s challenge providing a very early date of origin and two other dates, later prehistoric and medieval, when there was activity at the enclosure.
The monument retains its mystery: there are no Neolithic parallels for a stone-lined sunken and embanked rectangular enclosure, possibly watery.
“We may presume it was a sacred site, a place for gatherings, for rituals or ceremonies but perhaps Neolithic people made and used it for very different purposes.
“Its later prehistoric and medieval dates for reuse may relate to two of Cornwall’s
great sources of wealth supporting the sustainable summer grazing of extensive commons and then serving as a reservoir for water used in tin stream working.
“These dates, remarkable as they are, encourage further research into King Arthur’s Hall.”
Historic England said visitors to the site should be careful not to disturb the monument as it was at risk of erosion.
The site is on the body’s At Risk Register because of overgrown vegetation and the risk of erosion from visitors and livestock.
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