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→Winchester Round Table
==Winchester Round Table==
Winchester Castle is one of the greatest castles in England and it played a very important part of in English history. It was originally built by William the Conqueror and later rebuilt by Henry II, the ruler of the Angevin Empire. In the Great Hall, there is a round oaken table hanging on the wall, which is brightly painted. This was reputed to be the original Round Table, of the loyal warriors of Arthur, and around which they agreed to search for the Holy Grail. In fact, this table is not from the period when the ruler of Camelot reigned. It was probably built as part of one of the many ‘round table’ tournaments that occurred in Europe during the Middle Ages. These were tournaments with jousting, ceremonies, and festivities and were based on Arthurian legend. This Round table was probably made on the orders of King Edward I during one such celebration <REF>Morris, Mark. "Edward I and the Knights of the Round Table." Foundations of Medieval Scholarship: Records edited in Honour of David Crook (2009)</ref>.
==The Amphitheater theory==
The Romans had occupied much of modern-day Britain from the 1st to the early 5th century. They transformed British society and they built roads and cities throughout the island. During their centuries of rule, the local people were often Romanized, especially those who lived in towns and cities. They adopted Roman norms and customs and one of the most popular of these was the games, especially gladiatorial games <ref> Zienkiewicz, J. David. The legionary fortress baths at Caerleon: The buildings. Vol. 1 (Cardiff, National Museum of Wales, 1986</ref>). Many Romano-British cities and towns had amphitheaters and based on the remaining evidence they hosted Roman style games. Many of these can still be seen and at one time there were a great many in Britain. In 2010 a theory emerged that was widely reported in the media and on the internet. A historian claimed that the amphitheaters inspired the legend of the Round Table. He claimed that the buildings which are circular formed the basis for the round table legend. Their argument was as follows, after the withdrawal of the Romans, the local people continued to live in the cities at least in the fifth and sixth centuries. Local Brythonic warlords led the fight against the Anglo-Saxons and others used these declining urban centers as strongholds. The amphitheaters were perfect assembly points and presumably, a local leader would gather his fighting men in these buildings. From this practice there emerged the story of a group of Christian knights. However, the theory that abandoned Roman amphitheaters inspired the stories of the Knights of the Round Table is a controversial one. There is no archaeological or documentary evidence that these Roman constructions, had been used in the Dark Ages or by Romano-British warriors.
