# 1 > Home to the legendary slayer of the Black Knight, Rheged has been hard to find, but archaeologists in Scotland have new clues to its location. Camelot, Avalon, Tintagel: These locations feature prominently in the British legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which were set during the tumultuous sixth century between the collapse of Roman power and the coming of the Saxons. While the tales might be legendary, many of these places were very real. Historians believed that Rheged, a powerful kingdom celebrated in Arthurian legends, existed, but they were never quite sure where it was. Led by Scotland-based GUARD Archaeology, a research team now thinks it might have an answer.
{ 2 }. - A Royal Hub
Like many archaeological breakthroughs, the researchers were looking for something entirely different when they started digging of Trusty's Hill, a hill fort in Galloway, in southern Scotland. "What drew us to Trusty's Hill were Pictish symbols carved onto bedrock here, which are unique in this region," said Ronan Toolis, who directed the team consisting of some 60 volunteers. Vestiges of the Pictish culture of Scotland, which flourished between the Iron Age and the early medieval period, are usually found much farther north than Trusty's Hill. On examining the site further, however, Toolis realized they had stumbled on a remarkable find. The Pictish engravings seem to have formed a symbolic entranceway, reminiscent other sites in Scotland associated with royalty. The dig also turned up pottery from France and a work-shop that had produced costly metalwork the fine jewelry, suggesting the site was a significant trade center. All of these elements demonstrate that the hilltop was once a royal stronghold about A.D. 600 for the local Britons of Galloway, a region whose wealth at this time makes it the strongest contender yet for the kingdom of Rheded.
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