The importance of Roman Reconstruction Archaeology

[Graham Sumner]

Hi John
A very interesting debate and your last post also raises some other important issues too.

Any claim to educate the public involves a commitment to authenticity

societies should not behave like real Roman soldiers.

Well I certainly do not think you should go about slaughtering the inhabitants north of the border once a season, seize money from civilians or crucify anyone. However if groups are doing a public parade shouldn't they at least try and look like Roman soldiers on parade? Isn't that also part and parcel of trying to be authentic in every way?

Interaction with the public can be done via the commentator as in your Group and as others do or after the main display.

That is why groups like Comitatus stage marches and camp authentically

.

I think we are getting back to your original doubts here. Playing Devils advocate, who says you are camping authentically etc, etc...? ( I do not totally share some of the following views but I have heard them said and mention them here for the purposes of this debate)

I guess there will be those who say that as re-enactors equipment is generally not made with the same materials as the originals, by the same methods or with the same level of skill as the originals then what can we learn from using them?

But as a professional interpreter who seems to spend much of his life in historical clothing, to me it seems important that you can actually live in your kit and that it enables you to work in it. Marches etc. can also be very enjoyable.

If you think marching is enjoyable then there are no doubt going to be some people who will say that you are definitely not doing things authentically!!! :wink:

Seriously, there will be people who will doubt the authenticity of what you are wearing and doing and will therefore ask, 'what do your marches prove'? Perhaps nothing more than that modern unfit people can wear 'fancy dress', live outdoors for a few days and that badly made kit will fall apart! I do not know what was in the original email that sparked this debate but perhaps at a guess it was something along these lines?

From my own experience you could show a tunic for example to a local archaeologist who might say it is wonderful. However in reality you probably know more about textiles than they do. Show your tunic to a textile expert and you will doubtless get a different opinion and possibly not a flattering one!

The group Quinta used to test the various types of third century weapons but always stressed when they published their findings that any results they achieved would always be the minimum. However it was always interesting to see that even at the first attempt many missiles thrown from the reconstructed wall at South Shields hit the outer edge of the reconstructed inner ditch!

So perhaps like you I have had doubts myself about what re-enactment achieves. Nevertheless like you I still believe that reconstructions and reenactors do have a valid and important role to play.

Graham.