the sixth-century fort at Tintagel were numerous remains of expensive pottery, glasswork, and coins from Visigothic Spain and the Byzantine Empire (when excavated in the 1930s by C. A. Ralegh Radford). Arthurian controversy After its discovery the stone was advanced in popular news media as possible evidence for the historical basis for the legendary King Arthur, with the name Artognou proposed as a variant of Arthur, and was referred to as the "Arthur stone". The stone's dating fits the general timeframe usually given for an "historical Arthur" and, according to a tradition first recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Arthur was conceived at Tintagel Castle. However, the Celticist John Koch and other scholars have rejected this idea, arguing against the connection between the names and saying there is no reason to suspect an association with an historical Arthur. Koch justifies this by pointing out that the name Artognou means "bear-knowledge", whereas he suggests the name Arthur is more likely derived from the Latin "Artorius". References External links Celtic Inscribed Stones Project Glasgow University: Tintagel Excavations 1998. The archaeological context of the find: "Although Tintagel is often associated with the mysterious and mythical past, we must dismiss any idea that the name on this stone is in any way to be associated with the legendary and literary figure Arthur. Arthur was only associated with Tintagel through the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth century, six hundred years later. As Professor Thomas states, "All this stone shows in the name ARTOGNOU, is the use of this (Celtic) element". (Archived at Archive.org) "Early Medieval Tintagel: An Interview with Archaeologists Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady" Archaeological artifacts Arthurian legend History of Cornwall Sub-Roman Britain 1998 archaeological discoveries Tintagel Medieval inscriptions