THE PAST will come alive in Caerleon this weekend - with King Arthur laying claim to his crown in the Welsh "Camelot", Roman soldiers and the Vikings all playing their part.

Visit the Roman Legionary Museum tomorrow and enjoy a day packed full of archaeological activities.

It is home to the South Wales branch of the Young Archaeologists Club and they are holding the event, between 11am and 4pm, to celebrate their tenth birthday.

And the following day, a family activity day is being held at the popular Roman Legionary Museum between 11am and 4pm.

Visitors to the museum can discover the Caerleon of 2,000 years ago when a fortress was founded in the village which guarded the region for more than 200 years.

A special ceremony is also taking place on Sunday in the Ffwrwm Arts Centre - the "coronation" of the legendary King Arthur.

Supporters of the notion that the famous king was crowned in Caerleon claim there is plenty of evidence in the writings of authors over the centuries.

That original event will be re-enacted and will be followed by a banquet and entertainment. It is all part of the build-up to this year's Caerleon Arts Festival which takes place in July.

It is also the beginning of a local campaign to establish Caerleon's right to describe itself as Arthur's capital.

Arts Festival chairman Tim Davidson said the event will become an annual one, partly to raise funds for the festival and partly to draw attention to Caerleon's claim to be Camelot.

"The original claims come from early Welsh stories dating back to the fifth century, which were eventually to become part of the Mabinogion," he said.

"The theory that Caerleon was the site of Arthur's Court is, of course, hotly disputed, but we hope that people who are either strongly for or against the legend will debate it in a civilised way over a glass of wine."

Festival organisers are going to select an "Arthur" and "Guinevere" for the occasion and there will be a hog roast, food and wine.

Guests will be encouraged to dress in period costume - for which there will be prizes - and there will be musicians playing throughout the afternoon and early part of the evening in the garden of the Ffwrwm Arts Centre.

It all begins at 2pm and continues until late. Adults £10 and children £5.