Graham Phillips (writer)

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Graham Phillips is a British author. Phillips has a background working as a reporter for BBC radio, and he was the Founding Editor (1979) of Strange Phenomena magazine.[1] He has made a number of controversial claims concerning the Arthurian legend, such as the discovery of the 'Hawkstone Grail', a small stone cup that he claims is the original Holy Grail; the identification of a Roman ruin as the "historical Camelot";[2] and the claim to have discovered King Arthur's grave. He has also investigated various biblical mysteries, again presenting some controversial theories, such as an alternative location for Mount Sinai at Petra in Jordan,[3] an Egyptian staff in a British museum as the staff of Moses,[4] and a grave on the British island of Anglesey as the tomb of the Virgin Mary.[5]

Graham Phillips
Graham Phillips in 2021
Born
Graham Phillips

1953 (age 70–71)
OccupationWriter
Years active1983-present

Books

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With Martin Keatman

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  • The Green Stone. Neville Spearman, 1983. ISBN 0-85978-060-0. Documents the authors' search for a hidden jewel rumoured to have belonged to Mary Queen of Scots.
  • The Eye of Fire. C.W. Daniel, 1986. ISBN 978-0-85207-172-4. An investigation into a Victorian secret society and the search for an ancient talisman they are said to have possessed.
  • King Arthur: The True Story. Century, 1992. ISBN 978-0-7126-5580-4. Researches the origins of the King Arthur myth, concluding that Arthur was Owain Danwyn, an historical fifth-century warlord from the English Midlands.
  • The Shakespeare Conspiracy. Century, 1994. ISBN 978-0-7126-5883-6. Examines the evidence concerning the private life of William Shakespeare and proposes that the playwright worked as a spy for the Protestant government of Queen Elizabeth I.
  • Robin Hood: The Man Behind the Myth. Michael O'Mara, 1995. ISBN 978-1-85479-996-8. Suggests that the legendary outlaw may have been a composite character based on three separate historical figures.

Solo

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  • The Search for the Grail. Century, 1995. ISBN 978-0-7126-7533-8. Proposes that the medieval Grail romances were based on the legend of a jar that was said to have belonged to Jesus' follower Mary Magdalene.
  • Act of God. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1998. ISBN 978-0-283-06314-5. Investigates the biblical accounts of the Exodus, concluding that the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea were real historical events caused by a volcanic eruption.
  • The Marian Conspiracy. Sidgwick & Jackson, 2000. ISBN 978-0-283-06341-1. Examines the historical evidence concerning the life of the Virgin Mary and proposes that the true location of her tomb was kept secret by the Vatican.
  • The Moses Legacy. Sidgwick & Jackson, 2002. ISBN 978-0-283-07315-1. Explores the origins of Judaism by examining the historical and archaeological evidence concerning the period of the Old Testament.
    • Reissued as: 12 Tribes, 10 Plagues and the 2 Men who were Moses. Ulysses Press, 2003. ISBN 1-56975-355-5.
  • Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon. Virgin Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1-85227-134-3. Investigates the mystery of Alexander's death, concluding that he was poisoned by his wife Roxanne.
  • The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant. Bear & Company, 2004. ISBN 978-1-59143-039-1. An account of the author's search for the biblical Ark of the Covenant by following a trail of clues purportedly left by the Knights Templars during the Middle Ages.
  • Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World. Bear & Company, 2005. ISBN 978-1-59143-047-6. Proposes that the Arthurian Merlin was based on an historical figure who sailed to America a thousand years before Columbus.
  • The End of Eden. Bear & Company, 2007. ISBN 978-1-59143-069-8. Advocates that a comet impact around 1500 BCE was responsible for the simultaneous collapse of various civilisations around the world.
  • The Lost Tomb of King Arthur. Bear & Company, 2016. ISBN 978-1-59143-181-7. Details the author's journey to uncover the final resting place of the historical King Arthur.
  • Wisdomkeepers of Stonehenge. Bear & Company, 2019. ISBN 978-1-59143-297-5. Proposes that Stonehenge was an ancient astronomical calendar to determine the precise time to plant and harvest medicinal plants.
  • The Mystery of Doggerland. Bear & Company, 2023. ISBN 978-1-59143-423-8. Explores the origins of the stone-circle-building culture in the ancient British Isles, suggesting that it may have started on islands north of Scotland.

Documentaries and television appearances

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Phillips has worked twice with British TV personality Tony Robinson and appeared in his documentaries Robin Hood: Fact or Fiction (2003)[6] and The Real Da Vinci Code (2005),[7] and with historian Michael Wood: In Search of Myths and Heroes: King Arthur (2005).[8] He has made two guest appearances on Britain's Channel Four Richard & Judy show: The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant (2004),[9] and King Arthur: The True Story (2005).[10] His investigations featured in two documentaries on the National Geographic Channel: The Hunt for the Lost Ark (2005)[11] and Is it Real?: King Arthur (2007).[12] Phillips's search for the lost Ark was the subject of an episode of the Travel Channel and History Channel's Legend Hunters[13] series (The Ark of the Covenant, 2007[14]) as was his investigation into the Grail legend (The Holy Grail, 2004[15]). Phillips's search for the Holy Grail formed part of the Lucasfilm documentary Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest about real-life Indiana Jones type researchers which accompanied the release of the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. His research into the Grail and Camelot legend featured in the Travel Channel's Weird Travels 2006 series (Weird Travels: The Quest for the Holy Grail).[16] And his investigations into the secret life of William Shakespeare and the Grail legend formed part of the Discovery Channel's Puzzles of the Past 2001 series (Master Spies[17] and Holy Relics[18]).

In 2015 Phillips took part in a TV documentary regarding the Staff of Moses.[19] Between 2014 and 2020 Phillips was featured in Forbidden History with Jamie Theakston as author and historian, attempting to solve biblical mysteries pertaining to Moses, King Arthur, and The Holy Grail.[20] Between 2013 and 2023 Phillips featured in eighteen episodes of the History Channel's 'Ancient Aliens' as an investigative journalist and expert.[21] Phillips also featured on another History Channel show, 'The UnXplained' in seven episodes as an expert between 2021 and 2024.[22] His research into the Holy Grail mystery was featured in the History Channel’s History’s Greatest Mysteries in 2022[23].

References

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  1. ^ Strange Phenomena magazine (ISSN 0143-5116) - Its editorial office was located at Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. For more information click on the following 3 references: (1) http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/articles/meonia.htm (2) (British Library Catalog) (Click on the following website address, then follow the directions given here after the website address): http://explore.bl.uk - Directions: Click on "Advanced search", then in the top search window which appears type the words "strange phenomena" (all in small case letters, but without the quotation marks). Next, click on the downward-pointing arrow which appears opposite the words "Material type". A dropdown menu will appear containing several selections. Click on the word "Journals". Now scroll down the page and click on the red "Search" button. Next, scroll farther down the page, and under item 1 (Strange phenomena) click on "Details". (3) http://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/Phillips-graham
  2. ^ "Tracking the Bear King", Sunday Express, 9 August 1992
  3. ^ "Moses Supposes", Times Literary Supplement, 12 July 1998
  4. ^ "BBC News : ENGLAND : Staff of Moses 'found' in Birmingham". BBC News article. 11 April 2002. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  5. ^ "The Marian Conspiracy". Official website. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  6. ^ "In the footsteps of Robin Hood". Spire Films – First shown on Channel 4(UK) in October 2003. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  7. ^ "channel4.com". Wildfire Television. First shown on Channel 4 (UK) 3 February 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  8. ^ "In Search of Myths & Heroes". Maya Vision International. First shown on BBC 2 (UK) 25 February 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  9. ^ "channel4.com". Cactus TV. Channel 4 (UK) December 2004. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  10. ^ "channel4.com". Cactus TV. Channel 4 (UK) June 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  11. ^ "Mysteries of the Bible – The hunt for the Lost Ark". National Geographic Television. First shown on the National Geographic Channel (US) 2006. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  12. ^ "Is it Real? – King Arthur". National Geographic Television. First shown on the National Geographic Channel (US) 2008. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  13. ^ "Partners in Motion/Harmony Entertainment". Partners in Motion/Harmony Entertainment Official Website. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  14. ^ "The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant – National Film Board of Canada". Partners in Motion. First shown on the Travel Channel (US) 14 December 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  15. ^ "Legend Hunters: The Holy Grail". Partners in Motion. First shown on the History Channel (US) 2004. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  16. ^ Quest for the Holy Grail, Weird Travels, 25 May 2006, retrieved 21 October 2021
  17. ^ "Puzzles of the Past". Clark Television. First shown on Discovery Channel (US) 5 June 1998. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  18. ^ "Puzzles of the Past". Clark Television. First shown on Discovery Channel (US) 2 June 1998. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  19. ^ The Staff of Moses, Secrets of the Bible, 2 January 2015, retrieved 17 August 2022
  20. ^ "Forbidden History | Yesterday Channel". yesterday.uktv.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Watch Ancient Aliens Full Episodes, Video & More | HISTORY Channel". The HISTORY Channel. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  22. ^ "The UnXplained Full Episodes, Video & More | HISTORY". play.history.com. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  23. ^ "History's Greatest Mysteries Episode list". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
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