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| Beckery Chapel near Glastonbury 'earliest known UK monastic life' | Beckery Chapel near Glastonbury 'earliest known UK monastic life' |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Skeletons found at a site, said in legend to have been visited by King Arthur, are the oldest example of monks found in the UK, archaeologists say. | |
| Carbon dating revealed the remains, discovered at Beckery Chapel, near Glastonbury, were from the 5th or early 6th Century AD. | |
| Site director Dr Richard Brunning said: "It's the earliest archaeological evidence we've got for monasticism." | Site director Dr Richard Brunning said: "It's the earliest archaeological evidence we've got for monasticism." |
| Beckery was excavated in May by the South West Heritage Trust. | Beckery was excavated in May by the South West Heritage Trust. |
| For more archaeology stories follow our Pinterest board | For more archaeology stories follow our Pinterest board |
| The team found about 50 to 60 skeletons, most of whom were adult male, apart from two juveniles thought to be novice monks. | The team found about 50 to 60 skeletons, most of whom were adult male, apart from two juveniles thought to be novice monks. |
| A female skeleton is believed to have been a visiting nun or patron. | A female skeleton is believed to have been a visiting nun or patron. |
| Mr Brunning said the balance of male and female remains and the new scientific evidence meant there was little doubt the burial ground had been a monastic cemetery. | Mr Brunning said the balance of male and female remains and the new scientific evidence meant there was little doubt the burial ground had been a monastic cemetery. |
| It predates Iona Abbey in Scotland, founded in the late 6th Century, and nearby Glastonbury Abbey, which dates from the 7th Century. | |
| The earliest monks died in the 5th or early 6th centuries AD with burials taking place at Beckery until the early 9th Century AD. | The earliest monks died in the 5th or early 6th centuries AD with burials taking place at Beckery until the early 9th Century AD. |
| "It would have been very small, we're only talking about a small number of monks there at any one time, effectively it's like a large hermitage", explained Mr Brunning. | "It would have been very small, we're only talking about a small number of monks there at any one time, effectively it's like a large hermitage", explained Mr Brunning. |
| "It's on a small island just off Glastonbury so it's surrounded by the wetlands and cut off from normal life, that's probably why it's based there. | "It's on a small island just off Glastonbury so it's surrounded by the wetlands and cut off from normal life, that's probably why it's based there. |
| "There are a few rudimentary buildings made of wattle and daub, so nothing grand made of stone." | "There are a few rudimentary buildings made of wattle and daub, so nothing grand made of stone." |
| Further tests are planned to establish if the inhabitants were local or came from further afield. | Further tests are planned to establish if the inhabitants were local or came from further afield. |
| Experts believe use of the site ended when the Vikings invaded later in the 9th Century AD and attacked Somerset. | Experts believe use of the site ended when the Vikings invaded later in the 9th Century AD and attacked Somerset. |
| The chapel is connected to legendary visits by mythical King Arthur, who is said to have seen a vision of Mary Magdalene and the baby Jesus there. | |
| Was Arthur real? | |
| Arthur, as a 5th Century military commander leading the Britons into battle against the invading Saxons, has proved impossible for historians to verify. | |
| The only contemporary source, The Ruin and Conquest of Britain by the British monk and historian Gildas (c.500-70), does not mention Arthur at all. | |
| Some scholars have suggested that Ambrosius Aurelianus, a Romano-British war hero described by the the 6th Century historian Gildas, may have been the real Arthur. | |
| Others have suggested that Lucius Artorius Castus, a 2nd or 3rd Century Roman military commander, may have formed the basis of the Arthurian myth. | |
| However, historians such as Michael Wood believe Arthur was an amalgam of heroic figures from Celtic mythology - a basis that has, nonetheless, barely dented his continued legacy. |