Summary Of Josh Gates Expedition Unknown

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Josh Gates' "Expedition Unknown" takes viewers on a journey through Summerset County to unravel the mysteries of Glastonbury, diving into narratives surrounding the Celts, Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail, Avalon, and King Arthur. When explaining these tales, Gates tends to blend stories that are fact and fiction. Gates' short narrative explores Glastonbury and examines its common stories to discover if they are justified true beliefs or pure legends. His view affirms the importance of historical figures such as Joseph of Arimathea and how they highlight Glastonbury's historical significance, but Gates lacks a certain clarity that should allow viewers to fully understand the figures’ history embedded in the site. These people led to the …show more content…

Similarly, the association of Glastonbury with Avalon and the mythical realm of Arthurian legend is based on literary tradition and folklore rather than on verifiable historical evidence. Gates skims through many myths and ideas concerning Glastonbury, and while he does provide information he fails to give reason for the warrant of these stories. Warrant, in Gates’ view, seems most appropriate when looking at the historical figure Joseph of Arimathea. Gates introduces him to the scene around one thousand years after the Celtic tribe's arrival. This man came to spread a new religion called Christianity and founded the first church in Britain. Near the tor, Joseph supposedly stabs his staff into the ground at the top of the hill and it grows into a thorn tree. Examining its botany, biologists were able to determine that the species of tree is only found in the Middle East, which validates the story of Joseph establishing the church because he came from Palestine. The main part of the story that does not warrant is its relation to the Holy …show more content…

One critique relates to the necessity of a clearer understanding of the cultural factors that have shaped Glastonbury's mythology. Exploring Roman influence during Julius Caesar and Emperor Claudius’s invasions could have provided Gates with a deeper understanding of Glastonbury's history, which was reflected in the myths he discussed. The Roman invasions gave context into the time of Joseph's arrival, which would have likely given Gates a segway to explain people's reactions to Joseph. Gates's presentation occasionally blurs the lines between historical fact and myth, presenting legendary accounts alongside historical evidence without clearly distinguishing the two, which may lead viewers to believe unwarranted stories are fact. This is what he does while talking about the Autherian legend. Gates talks about the probability of ArthurAurtur not being a king, but rather a warrior, but then he states that Aurthur went to the island of Avalon where he did, yet was discovered 500 years later by monks at Glastonbury buried with his wife Guinivere. This may be confusing to his audience because he did not clarify which parts of the narrative were

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