05-28-2008, 09:08 PM
Giannis, it's not that hard.
I understand your statements, but right now, the community on this list knows far more about the hoplite than we did about the British Army of 1776 in 1975. We made many, many mistakes--but that actually helped, as the participation in discussions like this one, around campfires (some fires built with kit that we were discarding!) helped raise enthusiasm to do better.
I must say that I see a great deal of emphasis on arms and armour and very little on camp life and cooking, which are staple issues in my other hobby. But it doesn't look that bad--there's plenty of info on the basics. At least (for instance) we won't have to wait fifteen years to figure out what weights of wool and linen are correct...
I think the shoe is on the other foot. I think that events (like the US bicentennial in 1976-1984) create the momentum and enthusiasm to recruit and travel. Wouldn't is be great if just thirty people came to Marathon 2010? It would be a start, and we could start discussing the 2500ths of the rest of the 5th century...
In my other hobby, it is routine for senior people to arrange events two ro three years out, often at the governmental level, and then start recruiting reenactors when the money and the site are in line. I'm hardly the best at this, but I've done it 30+ times, and it is just not that hard, because, in effect, we offer local governments a good quality spectacle and some tourist dollars/euros for--well, basically for free!
Perhaps only 30 people would come in kit (I bet more, but let's suppose). those thirty would start something--and they'd also show the public something worth seeing. Even if all they did was a parade and a march through the Parthenon... I understand that we all disagree on all sorts of things--but I'll bet we don't disagree on enthusiasm or public education. In other periods, the host units get to call the shots for drill and deportment. Thats a sensible (if you ask me) solution--everyone attending knows that this is the event where you must have correct shoes (or whatever). if another group thinks that hoplite drill works in a different way, then they need to have a different event!
Okay, I'm off my soap box. Apologies. Back to the regularly scheduled discussion.
I understand your statements, but right now, the community on this list knows far more about the hoplite than we did about the British Army of 1776 in 1975. We made many, many mistakes--but that actually helped, as the participation in discussions like this one, around campfires (some fires built with kit that we were discarding!) helped raise enthusiasm to do better.
I must say that I see a great deal of emphasis on arms and armour and very little on camp life and cooking, which are staple issues in my other hobby. But it doesn't look that bad--there's plenty of info on the basics. At least (for instance) we won't have to wait fifteen years to figure out what weights of wool and linen are correct...
I think the shoe is on the other foot. I think that events (like the US bicentennial in 1976-1984) create the momentum and enthusiasm to recruit and travel. Wouldn't is be great if just thirty people came to Marathon 2010? It would be a start, and we could start discussing the 2500ths of the rest of the 5th century...
In my other hobby, it is routine for senior people to arrange events two ro three years out, often at the governmental level, and then start recruiting reenactors when the money and the site are in line. I'm hardly the best at this, but I've done it 30+ times, and it is just not that hard, because, in effect, we offer local governments a good quality spectacle and some tourist dollars/euros for--well, basically for free!
Perhaps only 30 people would come in kit (I bet more, but let's suppose). those thirty would start something--and they'd also show the public something worth seeing. Even if all they did was a parade and a march through the Parthenon... I understand that we all disagree on all sorts of things--but I'll bet we don't disagree on enthusiasm or public education. In other periods, the host units get to call the shots for drill and deportment. Thats a sensible (if you ask me) solution--everyone attending knows that this is the event where you must have correct shoes (or whatever). if another group thinks that hoplite drill works in a different way, then they need to have a different event!
Okay, I'm off my soap box. Apologies. Back to the regularly scheduled discussion.
Qui plus fait, miex vault.
