Editing Round Table (section)

==Origins==
Though the Round Table is not mentioned in the earliest accounts, tales of [[King Arthur]] having a marvellous court made up of many prominent warriors are ancient. [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]], in his ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (composed c. 1136) says that, after establishing peace throughout [[Britain (place name)|Britain]], Arthur "increased his personal entourage by inviting very distinguished men from far-distant kingdoms to join it."<ref name="Geoffrey222">Geoffrey, p. 222.</ref> The code of [[chivalry]] so important in later medieval romance figures in it as well, as Geoffrey says Arthur established "such a code of courtliness in his household that he inspired peoples living far away to imitate him."<ref name="Geoffrey222"/> 

Arthur's court was well known to [[Wales|Welsh]] storytellers; in the romance ''[[Culhwch and Olwen]]'', the protagonist [[Culhwch]] invokes the names of 225 individuals affiliated with Arthur.<ref>Padel, p. 17.</ref> The fame of Arthur's entourage became so prominent in Welsh tradition that in the later additions to the [[Welsh Triads]], the formula tying named individuals to "Arthur's Court" in the triad titles began to supersede the older "Island of Britain" formula.<ref>Bromwich, p. lxvii.</ref> Though the code of chivalry crucial to later continental romances dealing with the Round Table is mostly absent from the Welsh material, some passages of ''Culhwch and Olwen'' seem to reference it. For instance, Arthur explains the ethos of his court, saying "[w]e are nobles as long as we are sought out: the greater the bounty we may give, the greater our nobility, fame and honour."<ref>Padel, p. 21.</ref>

Though no Round Table appears in the early Welsh texts, Arthur is associated with various items of household furniture. The earliest of these is Saint [[Carannog]]'s mystical floating [[altar]] in that saint's 12th-century ''Vita''. In the story Arthur has found the altar and tries unsuccessfully to use it as a table; he returns it to Carannog in exchange for the saint ridding the land of a meddlesome dragon.<ref>Padel, p. 42.</ref> Elements of Arthur's household figure into local topographical folklore throughout Britain as early as the early 12th century, with various landmarks being named "[[Arthur's Seat (disambiguation)|Arthur's Seat]]", "Arthur's Oven", and "Arthur's Bed-chamber".<ref>Padel, p. 102.</ref> 

A [[henge]] at [[Eamont Bridge]] near [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]], [[Cumbria]], is known as "[[King Arthur's Round Table]]".<ref>Thomas, pp. 428–429.</ref> The still-visible Roman amphitheatre at [[Caerleon]] has been associated with the Round Table,<ref>{{cite book|last=Ottaway|first=Patrick|title=A traveller's guide to Roman Britain|year=1987|publisher=Historical Times|isbn=978-0-918678-19-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MtkOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA35|author2=Michael Cyprien |page=35}}</ref> and it has been suggested as a possible source for the legend.<ref>{{cite book|last=Castleden|first=Rodney|title=King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend|year=1999|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-19575-1|url=https://archive.org/details/kingarthurtruthb00cast|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/kingarthurtruthb00cast/page/148 148]}}</ref> Following archaeological discoveries at the Roman ruins in [[Chester]], some writers suggested that the [[Chester Roman Amphitheatre]] was the true prototype of the Round Table;<ref>Evans, Martin (July 11, 2010). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7883874/Historians-locate-King-Arthurs-Round-Table.html "Historians locate King Arthur's Round Table"]. www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved July 15, 2010.</ref> however, the [[English Heritage]] Commission, acting as consultants to a [[History (UK TV channel)|History Channel]] documentary in which the claim was made, stated that there was no archaeological basis to the story.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pitts|first=Mike|date=November 2010|title=Britain in Archaeology|journal=British Archaeology|location=York, England|publisher=Council for British Archaeology|issue=115|page=8|issn=1357-4442|quote=The claims...have no basis whatever in the archaeological evidence}}</ref>