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King Arthur and his knights are known to most of the Western world as some of the great figures of legend. In Arthur's Britain, Leslie Alcock examines the historical background to the legends, scrutinizing the history and culture of the British Isles between the fourth and seventh centuries A.D. His goal is to establish the "real" Arthur, and to analyze Arthur's significance. Alcock does not, however, look to trace the development of the Arthurian legend.
Alcock's task is hampered by the extreme paucity of textual evidence for the period of Arthur, and by the unreliability of those texts that have survived. The author does a good job, however, of analyzing the existing evidence, and explaining thoroughly its strengths and weaknesses. Particularly impressive is Alcock's apparent refusal to take sides on most issues; he merely lays out the various arguments, and allows the reader to make his or her own decision. In a field of history containing so much uncertainty, it is valuable to see both sides of a debate.
My one complaint about the book is that it is a very dry read at times, particularly when Alcock is slogging through the masses of archaeological data. While this in no way detracts from the the book's value as a historical work, it does make things a bit frustrating for the reader at times.
For me, the most interesting parts of Arthur's Britain were the conclusions that Alcock draws concerning that legendary figure. He establishes that Arthur did exist (although his dates are somewhat uncertain), and was renowned for his military exploits, but was not terribly significant in the grand scheme of British history. Why an apparently insignificant figure became so legendary is a question that Alcock glosses over, although he does offer a couple of theories on the subject.In short, Arthur's Britain is not a particularly gripping read, but is still a valuable and fairly un-biased source for those interested in the "Dark Age" period of Britain, and in the historical figure of King Arthur.
Reviewed by Patrick Conway on April 14, 1997. Photograph from the Early British Kingsoms Web Site.
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