The Earliest Arthurian Texts
Greek and Latin Sources of the Medieval Tradition
Description:... This volume offers for the first time a comprehensive collection of over one hundred Greek and Latin sources which point to certain Classical antecedents to the Arthur tradition, offering texts, translations, and commentaries for all of these. This work should appeal to scholars interested in Arthurian tradition and medieval and classical literature. ancient Greek and Latin sources needed to deal with figures answering to names like Arktouros, Ardus, and Artorius, where the bearers seem to have some kind of 'Arthurian' character. It challenges proponents of later British Arthurs to explain or explain away various Classical antecedents to the Arthurian tradition. This collection includes text and translation of over one hundred short texts concerning Arthur-figures, enabling Medieval scholars to examine for themselves the basis for claims of 'Arthurship' before the age of the historical Gildas. A detailed commentary is provided to introduce classicists to the Medieval tradition and vice-versa. The new texts raise as many questions as they answer; but for that very reason serious students of Arthurian origins cannot afford to ignore them.
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