Archaic and Classical Greek tentage

[Kineas]

Friends,
So--we want to make tents.

I recently spent three weeks in Greece, and In understand better now--it doesn't rain much, and the weather is fabulous, so there's not a heck of a lot of reason to have tents. But we live in Canada, and we'll never get through a weekend without rain. Not ever!

On the other hand, both the Greeks and the Persians at Plataia had tents. Classical Greek has a word for tent, and that word was applied to Xerxes palatial construction and to the tents that Thucydides mentions being used by Athenian hoplites in 425 BC or thereabouts.

Before we re-invent the wheel, anyone have any answers? And I have read the threads, here and on the Roman side, on tents--hide and leather, linen, etc.

[John Conyard]

The tent of a Greek hero should be large enough to sulk in.

Well they certainly did have them. I don't read Greek ancient or modern but isn't "skene" conected to tent or booth?

There is an Assyrian illustration of a simple ridge tent, two uprights and a cross bar. The design seems to form the basis of most military tents.

But modern white canvas make re-enactment campsites look like ACW encampments.

People certainly used goats hair, and rough wool (Biblical). Reeds and thatch could be used. But I would be tempted to use your existing uprights and cross bars, or just rough bits of wood. Then drape wool, cloaks, canvas and shields over the frame to produce individualistic shelters.

New recruits appreciate the low costs of Comitatus dog tents. They are easy to make, carry on walks and transport in someone elses car.

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[Julius Verax]

Dont know if this helps but last year I was invited to an event with the Spartan society and there tents were white canvas , here is a picture of me and in the background you will see the kind of tent they use . Hope this is of help ( probably not ) .

Julius .

[Astiryu1]

I would say that at least in the "Iliad" the tents would probably be extra sails from ship storage. One or two spares would be an excellent cover for all of the crew and warriors but that is a theory based on Common Sense. If there is anything to disprove it please explain. I also think that the size of Greece made tents pretty rare in use. When Marching in the modern US Army unless we were encamped somewhere ( more than a night ) we simply rolled up in our tent halves. The cloak would be sufficient for that. The Northern climates do need tents because of snow and such and here in Florida we have Mosquitoes.
( Florida's REAL state bird )
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