A "fascinating historical detective work" that pins down the real story of the legendary medieval king and the court of Camelot ( Spectator ). The Holy Grail, the kingdom of Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, and the magical sword Excalibur are all key ingredients of the legends surrounding King Arthur. But who was he really, where did he come from, and how much of what we read about him in stories that date back to the Dark Ages is true? So far, historians have failed to show that King Arthur really existed at all, and for a good reason—they have been looking in the wrong place. In this "vivid and thought-provoking" book, Alistair Moffat shatters all existing assumptions about Britain's most enigmatic hero ( Birmingham Evening Mail ). With references to literary sources and historical documents, as well as archeology and the ancient names of rivers, hills, and forts, he strips away a thousand years of myth to unveil the real King Arthur. And in doing so, he solves one of the greatest riddles of them all—the site of Camelot itself. "A virtuoso performance." — Cardiff Western Mail "Crammed with detail and follows a broad sweep across much of our history from the Ice Age to the Middle Ages." — The Scotsman