David Hambling here - Im looking after DefenseTech for a few days from London, a city known for its iconic Tower Bridge. The bridge is not named for its own towers, but for the nearby Tower of London . 
Now a big tourist attraction, the Tower was started in 1078 by William the Conqueror, the Norman warlord who had invaded and siezed the throne 12 years before. (The legal basis for Williams actions is still a matter of debate). Unlike most such castles, the Tower was not entirely for the defense of the city it was as much to give the invaders a fortified base to protect them from the locals. William faced a major insurgency, and reacted with massive force, especially in the North where he left not a blade of grass between the Rivers Trent and Tweed.
The ringleaders of the insurgency were outlaws like Hereward the Wake, a survivor from the previous regime who was eventually persuaded to switch sides. Some of Herewards Norman-fighting exploits were later attributed to Robin Hood (who, if he ever existed, was at around least a century later), now reincarnated yet again in a swashbuckling new BBC TV series
Maybe in 900 years the Green Zone will be a must-see for coachloads of visitors - fleeced and thoroughly misinformed by their guides about the history of the place - while popular entertainment will feature bands of colorful Iraqi outlaws outwitting a dastardly Sherif of Baghdad. History may be written by the winners, but it soon gets a makeover from the scriptwriters.
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