Manchester University professor leads dig at famous Stone Age monument which inspired author CS Lewis

The site provided the inspiration for the Stone Table in the fantasy writer’s famous children’s book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam StanfordArthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam Stanford
Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam Stanford

A Manchester University archaeology professor has led a dig at one of England’s most famous - and inspirational - Stone Age monuments.

The excavation at Arthur’s Stone in Herefordshire has revealed the origins of the site for the first time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Not only is the site one of the most important locations for understanding the distant past, it also has a link to modern culture as a site of inspiration for children’s author CS Leiws.

The team from the Universities of Manchester and Cardiff carried out the work, led by Professor Julian Thomas who works in the city.

What is Arthur’s Stone and what has been discovered?

Arthur’s Stone dates to the Neolithic period, which means it was built in around 3700BC, and is located in a lonely spot on a hilltop outside the village of Dorstone, facing the Black Mountains in south Wales.

It consists of a massive capstone raised on a series of supporting stones and a lesser chamber with a right-angled passage.

It is a scheduled monument cared for by English Heritage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Previously archaeologists had thought the construction had stood within a wedge-shaped stone cairn, similar to other sites in the Cotswolds and South Wales.

Excavations at Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam StanfordExcavations at Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam Stanford
Excavations at Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam Stanford

Now, however, Prof Thomas, who has been directing work in the area along with Cardiff University’s Professor Keith Ray, and his team have found that it extended into a field where some ‘halls of the dead’ were discovered in 2013.

They discovered the tomb had first been a long mound composed of stacked turf with a palisade of upright posts.

Later, when the first posts rotted and the mound collapsed, an avenue of larger posts were added, leading toward the mound from the area below known as the Golden Valley.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Prof Thomas was also in charge of the group of archaeologists who discovered the ‘halls of the dead’ in 2013.

What do the experts say about this?

The new discoveries have cast extra light on the lives of people living in Britain more than 5,500 years ago.

The area Prof Thomas is working in is fast becoming known as an extremely important site for understanding this long-past chapter of our island’s history.

It has also started to answer questions that have been on the minds of those studying this period for some time.

Students excavating the avenue of postholes leading toward the mound of Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam StanfordStudents excavating the avenue of postholes leading toward the mound of Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam Stanford
Students excavating the avenue of postholes leading toward the mound of Arthur’s Stone. Photo: Adam Stanford
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Prof Thomas said: “Although Arthur’s Stone is an iconic Megalithic monument of international importance, its origins had been unclear until now.

“Being able to shine a light on this astonishing 5,700-year-old tomb is exciting, and helps to tell the story of our origins.

“Arthur’s Stone has now been identified as being closely connected with these nearby ‘halls of the dead’, where three turf mounds had been built on the footprint of a large timber building that had been deliberately burnt down.

“Indeed, the block of upland between the Golden Valley and the Wye Valley is now becoming revealed as hosting an integrated Neolithic ceremonial landscape.”

Which famous writer was inspired by Arthur’s Stone?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

CS Lewis drew inspiration from the Neolithic site when he was penning the best-known book in his series The Chronicles of Narnia.

Arthur’s Stone was the inspiration for the Stone Table in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

It plays a pivotal role in the book’s plot, as the table is where the lion Aslan is killed by the wicked White Witch, only for him to destroy it when he magically returns to life.

Related topics: