Separating fact from mythology

Lost Histories by Joel Levy (Vision Paperbacks, £10.99) - Levy examines some of the world’s great mysteries, trying to separate fact from mythology. Shropshire gets an honourable mention, with the claim that Wroxeter - the Roman city of Viroconium - was the site of King Arthur’s Camelot.

Of course, this arguably builds one myth on top of another, as the historical basis for Arthur is disputed.

The theory that Viroconium was the site of Camelot is not new, and Levy makes clear that he is drawing on the research and theories of other authors.

He concludes that there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the historical basis for Arthur was the Welsh king Owain Ddantgwy, or “Owen White Tooth.”

And he points out that an engraved stone found at Viroconium records that the city was occupied by a king of the Cunedda family - Owain’s family.

Was this king, he asks, Owain, making Viroconium his Camelot?

In other words, the question marks remain, as they probably always will. But there is a bright side to it from the point of view of luring tourists to Shropshire - just as nobody can prove Camelot was here, nobody can prove it wasn’t either.

Rating ***
Review by Toby Neal