King Arthur’s Round Table, Eamont Bridge, Cumbria

The Excavation of an Excavation

Bibliographic Data

ID8882237
AuthorsRichard Bradley (0000-0003-3513-5661, University of Reading), Chris Evans (0000-0002-4197-4202, Arthur B. McDonald-Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute), Christopher Evans (0009-0000-5778-6858, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research), Gill Hey (Oxford Archaeology North), Aaron Watson (A.S. Watson (Netherlands))
Year2025
Volume105
Pages296-324
Publication date2025-09-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Antiquaries Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-5815 • E-ISSN: 1758-5309
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0003581525100255
OpenAlexW4414102933
LanguageEN
References cited9

In 1937 the philosopher Robin Collingwood excavated a henge monument in Cumbria and identified the postholes of a series of timber buildings, which he compared with those at other sites. These structures at Eamont Bridge were replaced by a stone circle. He planned to continue the work for a second season, but was prevented by illness. His project was completed by the famous German scholar Gerhard Bersu, who concluded that many of the features identified two years earlier were of geological origin; others were rootholes and animal burrows. Their projects have played a part in the history of fieldwork, but in recent years influential researchers have tried to rehabilitate Collingwood’s reputation as an excavator. Their views were encouraged by his pivotal role in studies of the northern frontier of Roman Britain. In 2023 parts of the monument at King Arthur’s Round Table were re-excavated with the aim of settling the dispute. The new work supported Bersu’s interpretation, but recognised that Collingwood’s approach was not as misguided as his critics had supposed – it was directly based on his agenda for historical research. The real problem is that he had been working without sufficient experience on a difficult subsoil. This article considers the methods used by both researchers at King Arthur’s Round Table and compares their distinctive approaches to field archaeology

Excavation · Frontier · German · Reputation · Work (physics · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and Historical Studies

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