King Arthur's Round Table: An Archaeological Investigation - Softcover

Biddle, Martin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0851158412 ISBN 13: 9780851158419

Publisher: Boydell Press, 2000

Synopsis

The vast wooden disk known as King Arthur's Round Table has hung on the wall of the great Hall of Winchester Castle for six hundred years. But what is it? Was it ever a table? When was it made? Why is it hanging on the wall? When was it painted with the famous image it now bears? And why at Winchester? In 1976 the Round Table was taken down from the wall and thoroughly examined by a team of historians and scientists assembled by Martin Biddle, and its history began to emerge. Built in the reign of Edward I, it was probably the centrepiece of a feast held at Winchester after a forgotten tournament celebrating marriage plans for the king's children; Edward III, founder of the Order of the Garter, had the top hung up in the castle hall as a symbol of his interest in the chivalric idea of the company of Arthur's Round Table; Henry VIII had it painted and used the figure of Arthur to support his claim to be arbiter of European power. This most enigmatic of objects at last yields up these and other secrets to scientific analysis and historical deduction.

About this title

About the Author:

PROFESSOR MARTIN BIDDLE is an Emeritus Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, and Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was the first Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology in England, at the University of Exeter (1963–67) and has held many other distinguished academic positions worldwide. He is the Founder and Director of the Winchester Excavations Committee (1962–present) and the Winchester Research Unit (1968–present). Professor Biddle is also Chairman of the Fabric Advisory Committee (FAC) for Winchester Cathedral, Archaeological Consultant for St Albans Cathedral, and former Archaeological Consultant for Canterbury Cathedral.

Review:

Magnificent book... a window on a lost visual world. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEWChunky, handsome, and splendidly illustrated. ANTIQUITYA fascinating and complex account... Assembles in one place everything one could want to know about the Winchester Round Table, and of special interest to those pursuing (Tudor) political appropriations of Arthuriana. ARTHURIANA Will tell almost anybody everything they could want to know about England's most fascinating piece of medieval furniture... An important book and a very enjoyable read. MEDIUM AEVUMA work of exceptional scholarship that will engross both the expert and the common reader. ALBION

About this edition

• Publisher: Boydell Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0851158412
• ISBN 13: 9780851158419
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 590