Arthur Stone, Artognou Stone, Tintagel Slate Fragment
The Tintagel slate fragment was unearthed during excavations led by English Heritage at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, England. At the eastern terraces of the castle, on July 4, 1998, the fragment of a small slate plaque (about 30 cm long and 23 cm wide), with a series of inscriptions and symbols carved into its surface, was found by archaeologists.
Hailed by one archaeologist as “the find of a lifetime,” the stone holds two inscriptions – one, broken off, is unreadable. The other reads
PATERN[…] COLI AVI FICIT ARTOGNOU
“Artognou descendant of Patern[us] Colus made [this]”
Speculation is that the stone, dating from the sixth century, was once part of a wall but was later used as a drain cover.
“Artognou,” pronounced “Arthnou,” is similar enough to “Arthur” to be an identical person. At the very least, it shows that the name was known to Britons in the sixth century, and that such as person was associated with Tintagel, where King Arthur was supposedly born. “Coll” probably refers to the semi-legendary King Cole mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth.
The name Artognou means “Bear knowing,” which cognates with the Old Breton name Arthnou and the Welsh name Arthneu.
See also
Arthur’s Stone | The Legend of King Arthur
Tintagel | The Legend of King Arthur
External link
Artognou stone | Wikipedia.org