The Lost Arthurian Kingdom of Rheged Discovered in Scotland

The long lost kingdom of Rheged, which dates back to the Dark Ages, may have been unearthed during excavation work at the archeological site of Trusty’s Hill in Scotland. The site is known for the Pictish Symbols that were carved into a rock outcrop at the entrance to the fort. Archaeologists say it may have been a stronghold of King Urien, who ruled the kingdom of Rheged during the sixth century and appears in Arthurian legends.

In some of the Arthurian legends, King Urien marries Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s sister who, according to one story, plots to steal the sword Excalibur, kill Arthur and Urien, and then take the throne for herself and her lover Accolon. Despite the kingdom’s historical importance, its location has remained unknown. 

“Trusty’s Hill was likely the royal seat of Rheged, a kingdom that had Galloway as its heartland,” Dr. Bowles, an archeologist with the Scottish Borders Council is quoted as saying in the Independent. “This was a place of religious, cultural and political innovation whose contribution to culture in Scotland has perhaps not been given due recognition. Yet the influence of Rheged, with Trusty’s Hill at its secular heart … and Urien its most famous king, has nevertheless rippled through the history and literature of Scotland and beyond.”