- A monk's apocalyptic book and Arthurian legend are united
by a study that shows how a comet plunged Britain into a dark age in the
sixth century.
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- Studies of tree rings showed the Earth underwent a series
of very cold summers around 536-540 AD, a Cardiff University team reports
in the journal Astronomy and Geophysics. They believe the chill was caused
by a comet exploding in the Earth's upper atmosphere.
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- Historical references from the Dark Ages are sparse,
but what records there are tell of crop failures and summer frosts. Gildas
Bandonicus, a Celtic monk, in his book Concerning the Ruin of Britain (De
Excidio Britanniae) recorded that "the Sun gave forth its light without
brightness".
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- Folklore also suggests that the death of King Arthur
- in either 539 or 542 depending on your source - plunged Britain into
a dark age. Merlin, Arthur's magician, is depicted in mythology as a "red
fiery whooshing dragon flying in the sky" - an account consistent
with a comet impact.
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004.
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- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004
02/04/ncomet04.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/02/04/ixhome.html
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