Semi-serious questions about reenactment

[Phaichtos]

Hey guys, so I've mentioned in other threads how I am not *currently* a reenactor, but would love to get into it some day. The other day when I was thinking about it some more, a few (sort of serious, sort of tongue-in-cheek) questions dawned on me. I mean, one thing I really like about this community is how serious everyone is about making their kit as accurate to their chosen time period as possible. But I was thinking about how there may be a few things that sort of hold back the ultimate authenticity level just a little bit. First, I gather that the majority of us are nowhere near the average size and shape of the average Roman soldier! I'm personally (unfortunately...) about the right height, but I'm sure I weigh at least 30lbs more than the average Roman of 2 millennia ago. So much for total authenticity! :mrgreen: Second, what do you do if a potential reenactor has visible tattoos? I personally don't (yet) but I'm sure there are some guys out there who fit the bill. Do you just wear long sleeved tunics or braccae and hence sort of limit your reenacting possibilities? Thirdly, what about hair? I'm sure the majority of us aren't going to run down to the barber and ask for the Augustus special in search of period accuracy, so how does the reenacting community view this? I actually shave my head lately too, so wouldn't this be technically inaccurate? And what about beards? I was pretty sure I remember reading somewhere about how the Roman army didn't allow beards (perhaps for sanitary reasons?) but I can't find the reference now. If this were true, should reenactors of the Roman army be shaving? I sport a beard like 95% of the time and would be reticent to shave it off for what amounted to a few days of dress-up per year :lol:

Anyway, please excuse the irreverent tone of this post I am however somewhat serious about these questions, just because I wonder how the reenactment community handles all of them.