King Arthur's Round Table: An Archaeological Investigation [Hardcover]

Martin Biddle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0851156266 | ISBN-13: 978-0851156262 | Edition: First Edition

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A 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 Aevum

Magnificent book... a window on a lost visual world. --English Historical Review

About the Author

MARTIN BIDDLE is Astor Senior Research Fellow at Hertford College and Professor of Medieval Archaeology in the University of Oxford. Contributors: JOHN V. FLEMING, SIMON JERVIS, BEATRICE CLAYRE, ROGER DAVEY, MICHAEL MORRIS, CECIL HEWETT, G.R. COLEMAN, SUSAN J. READ, BRIAN J. HEARD, A.C. BAREFOOT, DAVID HADDON-REECE, R.L. OTLET, STEPHEN REES JONES, SALLY BADHAM, PAMELA TUDOR-CRAIG, CLIVE WAINWRIGHT, A.J. WALKER.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press; First Edition edition (December 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851156266
• ISBN-13: 978-0851156262
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,616,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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