The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw made an astonishing discovery in northern Sudan: the first contextual evidence that might tip legend into fact by proving that Sudan’s “King Arthur” actually existed, El.kz reports citing Interesting Engineering.

At Old Dongola, the medieval capital of the Christian Kingdom of Makuria, scholars discovered a handwritten document in a large residential complex known, because of its having been passed down in oral traditions, as the “King’s House.”   

The name might suggest that archaeologists stood on groundbreaking evidence, along with the wealth of artifacts that they had already uncovered, such as silk, ivory, and rhinoceros’ horn, but they would find it in the trash, sharing space with organic waste.

The piece of rubbish turned out to be a document of utmost significance, as study authors explained in a new paper published in Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. The contents of the letter appear administrative thus ordinary at first, but the man ultimately behind the message was none other than a ruler believed to be semi-legendary.

Sudan’s “King Arthur” lived

Europeans were aware of Old Dongola since the turn of the 17th century, at least. Once the capital of Makuria, it wasn’t until the 1960s, the study stated, that a Polish expedition was finally launched to conduct archaeological investigation at the site.

As one of the most significant African medieval states, Makuria, historians had extensively explored its Christian history, but not its Islamic legacy until recently, so the administrative document reflects this period in its history, when the region went dark, according to Ancient Origins.

The royal order, related to livestock and textiles, was issued by King Qasqash, rendering this piece of paper the first physical appearance of his name. The “everyday” nature of the letter even humorously provided profound insights into a typical day of work in this government, thereby offering a never-before-seen look into an administration long thought to have been, more or less, more of a fabrication than reality.

When historians analyzed the document, it revealed the scribe Hamad’s shaky command of Arabic, suggesting the recent adoption of the language in the royal court, still attuned to Nubian dialects. Beyond reflecting a political and religious shift, if not a lingering resistance, life indeed “moves on.” Business must continue regardless of which language one needs to communicate in.

So Hamad, in this letter, instructs Khidr, by order of King Qasqash, albeit imperfectly, as historians encountered misspellings, to pick up his package of textiles, which would be delivered to him by Muhammad al-Arab. Historians explained in the paper that cloth was “a medium of exchange,” textiles the principal marketable commodity in pre-colonial Sudan. And, in exchange, Khidr was instructed to pay him with an ewe and offspring.