Melrose uses archaeological and linguistic evidence to analyze the earliest mentions of Arthur in mythology, religious beliefs and legends of the pre-Anglo-Saxon Britons of southern England, and compares it with other contemporary European and Near East Asian civilizations to compile evidence that the Arthur we know today is a combination of astrological and religious ideas originating in Persia and brought to the British Isles by the Druids when they migrated to what is now England from the Near East. In the middle ages the descendants of these prehistoric civilizations conflated these ideas with the historic accomplishments of British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus who fought against the invading Germanic tribes of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes during the early fifth century, thus keeping alive some of the cultural history of the original inhabitants of the land which by then had been superseded by the Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquests of the island. ( )

This book is a must read for anyone not just interested in the tales of King Arthur, but how King Arthur came to be. Just as the title suggests, this book dives into the history of early Britain as well as early Wales. It explores the culture of the druids, who they were and where they came from, examining historical records and discoveries to piece together clues of the past. The author examines the relationship between the druids of early Britain and the mentions of King Arthur in literature, as well as all the early mentions of a King Arthur from several different cultures, from the Romans to Welsh poets. Just where did King Arthur come from? Detours are taken to explain the depth of Welsh mythology and other pieces of history from the early British Isles, giving the reader a well rounded view of the time of King Arthur. ( )