"The answers you get from literature depend upon the questions you pose." … Margaret Atwood

Welcome to Arbroch: Seat of Argyll


Since the vast body of materials, fact and fiction, that have been inspired over the centuries by the Matter of Britain is second only to the Bible itself, I have come to the conclusion that a "Dark Age" warlord named Arthur must have existed at some point in Britain's history. The theories about who this man might have been, in which century he flourished, and what "really" happened during the period of his military and political influence upon the British landscape are as numerous and varied as the stars.

The theory I have adopted for use in my novels is that Arthur was a Romano-Celt who, as Dux Britanniarum, commanded the forces defending the territory between the Antonine and Hadrianic walls. From everything I've been able to piece together through three decades of research, the period in which he lived was a chaos of conflicting military, political, religious, social, moral and cultural agendas. Bringing the cultural clash to Arthur at the most personal level, in DAWNFLIGHT he meets and falls in love with the woman destined to become his soul-mate in the unification of Britain: a Pictish warrior-chieftainess named Gyanhumara of Clan Argyll.

The title of this web page, ARBROCH: Seat of Argyll, is Chieftainess Gyanhumara's home fortress, Arbroch -- which is in reality the Ardoch Roman fort in Perthshire, described in DAWNFLIGHT as having been captured by Gyanhumara's ancestors several generations prior to the opening of the story. Through a series of events to be related in a future novel, Gyanhumara and her clansmen will conquer the territory corresponding to modern-day Argyllshire.

The Pictish-style flying doves, original artwork created by myself, represent Clan Argyll's symbol, as described in DAWNFLIGHT.

The background for this page is a photograph of a scaled, resin replica of one one of the stones at the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum in Perthshire, Scotland. Local legend claims it is Guinevere's gravestone. Since Meigle is reputed to be the oldest village in Scotland, perhaps the local legend is correct! The replica can be ordered online from Plaide Palette.

A small-scale replica of several Pictish stones can be ordered through Jaracraft. I obtained the graphics I use as backgrounds to my bookstore pages from a file compiled by Ben Buckner, which I cleaned up and colored. Examples of other Pictish symbols can be found in the animated GIFs on the Reference books page, and also on the other bookstore pages.

As an Amazon.com associate, I am in the (never-ending!) process of making available reference works dealing with post-Roman Britain and its various ethnic groups, including the Celts, Picts, Scots, and Germanic tribes, Celtic religious studies, as well as adult and juvenile fiction, music, audio books, and videos. If you order through my site, I get a commission on each sale -- so please help keep this site online, and shop here often!

Now Available: Arthurian books and audiobooks from Amazon.co.uk.



Detail from The Death of King Arthur by James Archer

Index

Click on one of the s for:

SPAMALOT review My review of Monty Python's SPAMALOT, Opening Weekend on Broadway with Original Cast, including Tim Curry as King Arthur, 19 March 2005.

DOOM OF CAMELOT review Book Review: The Doom of Camelot anthology, edited by James Lowder

HALLOWED ISLE review Book Review: The Hallowed Isle Books I & II by Diana Paxson

CAMELOT review My review of Camelot, starring Robert Goulet, at Wolf Trap Park, Vienna, VA, on September 3, 1998.

Links My favorite Arthurian and related reference sites, and online articles.

Reference books Arthurian Reference materials: Books about post-Roman Britain, Picts, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons, as well as comentaries on Arthurian art, music, and cinematography … indicates a favorite book in my collection.

Soul source Matters of the soul: Celtic Christianity, Holy Grail studies, mythology, etc. … indicates a favorite book in my collection.

Ancient texts Ancient Texts, Anthologies and Commentaries of medieval and earlier Arthurian works … indicates a favorite book in my collection.

Fiction Arthurian Fiction: Post-medieval and contemporary adult Arthurian fiction, poetry and anthologies … indicates a favorite book in my collection.

Young Adult/Juvenile Arthurian Young Adult/Juvenile Fiction: includes Arthurian titles deemed by Amazon as suitable for all ages; many are worthwhile for the lavish illustrations alone! "Upper Junior" class teaching materials also are available. indicates a favorite book in my collection.

MusicArthurian Music, audio books, videos: Non-print media with Arthurian themes … indicates a favorite item in my collection.



Detail from The Death of King Arthur by James Archer

My Favorite Arthurian Sites

Many folks around the world have poured a lot of effort into their Arthurian-related and other research sites. Here are a few of my favorites. If you have a favorite that's not listed here, find a broken link, or if you have any specific questions, please email me!

Revised 25 March 2009

The Death of King Arthur by James Archer