13 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

‘Mystery and Unfathomable’ King Arthur’s Hall is 4,000 Years Older Than Previously Thought

A mysterious monument in Cornwall has been discovered to be 5,000 years old—4,000 years older than previously thought. The rectangular bank of earth and stone known as King Arthur’s Hall is located in a remote area of Bodmin Moor.

Researchers previously believed King Arthur’s Hall on Bodmin Moor to have been built in the Middle Ages, but excavations have shown that it was built some 4,000 years earlier.

Historic England has designated the site as “at risk” due to the growth of vegetation surrounding it. It contains 56 standing stones that are partially buried, leaning, or on the ground. It is as old as Stonehenge, having been built for the first time between 5,000 and 5,500 years ago during the Middle Neolithic Period, according to archaeologists.

According to experts, nothing like it exists in Britain or elsewhere, so the original purpose of the monument known as King Arthur’s Hall remains unknown.

Phil McMahon, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, said: “The news that King Arthur’s Hall is Neolithic in origin is exciting and adds significant time depth to this enigmatic site, which has few parallels in England.”



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



An excavation was carried out at the site as part of Cornwall National Landscape’s “A Monumental Improvement” project. It commissioned the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) to carry out archaeological investigations to determine its age, use, and longer-term conservation needs.

Although the site is listed by Historic England as a Medieval animal pound, experts have speculated that the monument may actually be prehistoric due to its standing stones, north-south orientation, and location in an area of Bodmin Moor that is home to numerous other early sites.

Historic England has designated the site as "at risk" due to the growth of vegetation surrounding it. It contains 56 standing stones that are partially buried, leaning, or on the ground. Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Historic England has designated the site as “at risk” due to the growth of vegetation surrounding it. It contains 56 standing stones that are partially buried, leaning, or on the ground. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Volunteers from the area assisted with the excavation. Specialist teams from the Universities of Reading, St Andrews, and Newcastle conducted the dating for the excavation by analyzing material from a section excavated through the bank and into soils buried beneath it.

Dating from their Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) analysis indicates the structure was constructed in the later fourth millennium BC (Neolithic Period).

Additionally, samples were collected from the monument’s interior to confirm the existence of fossilized plant and animal remains, including seeds, pollen, insects, and parasite eggs. The monument’s infilling started in the Later Prehistoric (2,000–2,500 years ago) and Medieval (500–1000 years ago) periods, according to radiocarbon dating, for monument activities that impacted the marshy interior of the enclosure.

According to experts, these uses—which may have included serving as a pound and subsequently as a reservoir for tin stream working—were most likely very different from what the enclosure’s original builders had in mind thousands of years ago.

Geological examination of the standing stones suggested they came “from within 250m (820 feet) of the site and were possibly dug out from the interior rather than from a distant tor. But while rectangular monuments do exist – and possible uses may have included gatherings of local communities for ceremonies and rituals – there is still uncertainty about the original purpose of the site.

King Arthur's Hall is on Bodmin Moor Cornwall, UK. It contains 56 standing stones partially buried, leaning, or on the ground. Photo: Wikipedia Commons
King Arthur’s Hall is on Bodmin Moor Cornwall, UK. It contains 56 standing stones partially buried, leaning, or on the ground. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Pete Herring, president of the Cornwall Archaeological Society, said: “The romantic-sounding 16th-century name King Arthur’s Hall tells us that here is a place regarded by the moorland community as something ancient and unfathomable, like other sites attributed to Arthur. Science has responded to that name’s challenge, providing a very early date of origin, and two other dates, later prehistoric and medieval, when there was activity at the enclosure.

“The monument retains its mystery: there are no Neolithic parallels for a stone-lined sunken and embanked rectangular enclosure, possibly watery. We may presume it was a sacred site, a place for gatherings, for rituals or ceremonies, but perhaps Neolithic people made and used it for very different purposes.

A management plan for the site is being developed in partnership with Historic England, Natural England, the landowner, and the Hamatethy Commoners.  The excavation and the scientific analyses were made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, Cornwall Council, and Cornwall Heritage Trust.

Cover Image Credit: Cornwall National Landscape

Related Articles

The ancient necropolis area in Turkey’s Antalya becomes a museum

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

The East Garage Necropolis Area, which was once a public market in the southern province of Antalya and where archaeological...

Restoration of the Duomo of Florence has revealed original polychrome paint

1 December 2022

1 December 2022

During the restoration of the Porta dei Cornacchini and the marble cladding of the northern side of Florence’s Duomo, extensive...

Synchrotron Technique Reveals Mysterious Portrait Underneath Renaissance Painting

16 April 2023

16 April 2023

Conservators and curators from the Art Gallery of New South Wales used the Australian Synchrotron’s advanced imaging technique to learn...

6,000 years old Underwater Ruins Discovered off Cuba: A Lost City Older Than the Pyramids — Or Be a Geological Oddity?

10 August 2025

10 August 2025

Recently, a mysterious discovery has resurfaced on social media, reigniting debates and curiosity worldwide: the so-called “lost city” said to...

A unique golden sun bowl was discovered during an archaeological survey in Ebreichsdorf, Austria

3 October 2021

3 October 2021

A golden sun bowl and several hundred bronze objects were discovered during archaeological excavations in a prehistoric settlement in today’s...

In the backstage of Smyrna Ancient Theater Latrina found

3 November 2021

3 November 2021

Interesting finds unearthed during the excavations of the 2400-year-old Ancient City of Smyrna in the Aegean region of Turkey continue...

Battle of the Egadi Islands: Rome’s deadly weapons discovered off Sicily

3 September 2021

3 September 2021

Underwater archaeologists from the Soprintendenza del Mare Regione Siciliana, RPM Nautical Foundation, and the Society for the Documentation of Submerged...

Astonishing discovery in Kazakhstan: Bronze Age girl buried with more than 150 animal ankle bones

7 September 2023

7 September 2023

Archaeologists in eastern Kazakhstan have unearthed a Bronze Age burial mound of a girl surrounded by various grave goods in...

The 3,200-year-old perfume of Tapputi, the first female chemist in history, came to life again

24 July 2022

24 July 2022

One of the scent formulas written in Akkadian on clay tablets by Tapputi, known as the world’s first female perfumer...

Hoard of Thousands of Coins Buried During Europe’s Most Turbulent Years Discovered

14 September 2025

14 September 2025

Discovery in Świerszczów near Hrubieszów sheds light on everyday currency and hidden treasures of the early modern era A remarkable...

Hand disease known as Viking disease may have its origins in Neanderthal genes

14 June 2023

14 June 2023

A recent study in the Oxford University Press journal Molecular Biology and Evolution demonstrates that a condition known as Dupuytren’s...

The Earliest Evidence of a Domesticated Dog in the Arabian Peninsula

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

Dogs have been the best friend of humans since ancient times. Although it is not known exactly when dogs were...

Luxurious Feather Beds of Iron Age Warriors

27 March 2021

27 March 2021

According to a new study, two warriors from the 7th century in Sweden were buried in graves where they were...

Declassified CIA Satellite Spy Program Reveals Lost Ancient Roman Forts

26 October 2023

26 October 2023

Archaeologists have discovered “massive” ancient Roman forts that redraw the borders of the ancient empire using images from a declassified...

Archeological study shows unearthed Byzantine warrior had gold-threaded jaw

30 September 2021

30 September 2021

A Byzantine warrior who was beheaded after the Ottomans captured his fort in the 14th century had a jaw threaded...