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A recent find off the northernmost coast of the British Isles, provides evidence that the extreme flooding that occurred in ancient times on a worldwide scale, also affected this region. Extraordinary archaeological discoveries have revealed how the consequences of prehistoric climate change all but wiped out a sophisticated culture years in advance of its time. An ancient stone circle, earthworks, an artificial mound, and fallen monoliths, all located on the seabed of the North Sea, offer dramatic evidence for the dreadful carnage that occurred the last time the Earth heated up. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"109810","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"373","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] Stonehenge Wiltshire. ( Archivist / Adobe Stock ) Around 3000 BC, the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland transformed rapidly into the so-called Megalithic culture, who became the

The discovery of 1500-year-old ruins at Tintagel in south-west England made headlines around the world. What appear to the be the walls of a Dark Age palace have been found in the exact place, and dating to the very time, King Arthur is said to have been born. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"25643","attributes":{"alt":"The ruins of the upper mainland courtyards of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall. ","class":"media-image","height":"458","style":"width: 610px; height: 458px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] The ruins of the upper mainland courtyards of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall. ( Kerry Garratt/CC BY SA 2.0 ) During the 1130’s the British cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote The History of the Kings of Britain, in which he tells us that Arthur was born in a castle on windswept, coastal cliffs just outside the village of Tintagel

Stonehenge is one of the most famous monuments in the world. Although it stands in isolated countryside in south-central England, miles from any major town, it is one of Britain’s most popular tourist sites, attracting more than a million visitors every year. It is also one of the most ancient. Who kept it secrets? [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"59959","attributes":{"alt":"Pyramids of Giza (Marcella Miriello / Adobe Stock)","class":"media-image","height":"301","style":"width: 610px; height: 301px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] P y ramid s of Giza ( Marcella Miriello / Adobe Stock ) Most Mysterious Prehistoric Stone Age Construction Around 5,000 years old, it predates the Great Pyramids of Egypt by over four centuries. In fact, it predates even recorded history and the use of metal implements, making it both a prehistoric and a Stone

I have recently been following what may be the world’s oldest road. Remarkably, much of it still survives as an ancient track. Created around 5500 years ago, it predates the Egyptian pyramids by a thousand years and the first major urban civilization of Sumer in Mesopotamia by seven centuries. Those who built it were Stone Age people of the Neolithic period, before the invention of metal tools. Called the Ridgeway, it is 87 miles (140 kilometers) long and runs across central-southern England. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"36789","attributes":{"alt":"Map showing the Ridgeway in southern Britain, possibly the oldest road in the world. (© Graham Phillips)","class":"media-image","height":"397","style":"width: 610px; height: 397px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] Map showing the Ridgeway in southern Britain, possibly the oldest road in the world. (© Graham Phillips) The

It’s only a few weeks now until the movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword hits the big screen. It will be particularly interesting to see how it portrays Merlin, the royal puppet master in the Arthurian tales. The stories we know today derive from the romantic fiction of the Middle Ages, first composed during the twelfth century, beginning with the work of the Welsh cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth around 1135. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"34792","attributes":{"alt":"The modern legend of Merlin was born out of the Middle Ages","class":"media-image","height":"453","style":"width: 610px; height: 453px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] The modern legend of Merlin was born out of the Middle Ages. ( CC BY-ND 2.0 ) Here, Merlin is depicted as the real power behind the throne: he is King Arthur’s mentor, his

A few weeks ago, astronomers announced that in 2022 something truly spectacular is to occur: a new star will appear in the heavens. It will be the first such event visible with the naked eye for over 400 years. Created by the collision of two relatively dim stars, the resultant explosion is known as a “boom star.” When this rare celestial occurrence takes place it will create a so-called red nova that will shine so brightly that it will be clearly seen at night in the constellation of Cygnus the swan. The last time a “new star” became visible without the aid of modern telescopes was in 1604, although this one was caused by a supernova, an exploding far-away sun

This spring a new movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, is to hit the big screens. Staring Charlie Hunnam as the fabled warrior, the film title suggests that the central theme is Arthur’s legendary sword. It will be interesting to see just how the sword is depicted, considering that previous Arthurian epics have been far from true to the original tales. The Sword in the Stone The theme of King Arthur pulling the sword from a stone in order to prove himself worthy to rule is perhaps the most muddled of all the Arthurian legends. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"32372","attributes":{"alt":"Arthur Draws the Sword from the Stone, by the nineteenth-century English artist Walter Crane. ","class":"media-image","height":"700","style":"width: 500px; height: 700px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"500"}}]] Arthur Draws the Sword from the

On January 12th this year BBC News ran a story concerning Mary Magdalene, the woman depicted as a close companion of Jesus in the New Testament. The Vatican has elevated her status amongst the saints to equal that of Jesus’ male disciples, and a major new movie about her life, staring Rooney Mara ( The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), is soon to be released. Most people will be familiar with this biblical character thanks to novelist Dan Brown, who suggests that she was Jesus’ wife. The Church, of course, vehemently denies such a notion, and it is certainly not found anywhere in the Bible. However, since the Middle Ages, Mary’s portrayal in a different but equally illustrious role has