Marathon 2011

[Perdiccas]

Germany: Hetairoi

We're following this thread with great interest and will discuss the matter on our next meeting in two weeks.
Personally I'd love to take part in the event. I'm amazed to see how fast this idea was picked up by everyone and hope the planning continues with the same enthusiasm.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Heck, I will just come along to watch....never got to Marathon the last 2 times I was there!!

[Idomeneas]

i asked the guys here that usually run our events and they said that insurance is not mandatory. Offcourse the eventa are about cars, bikes and races and not combat :lol:

I suggest that a poll should be made in order to see how many people would be willing to participate. Feedback is a good thing 8)

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Just a note on insurance, I took out individual reenactors insurance before going to Rome this year, seems they are a good bet!

Can't recall the name of them offhand but the link was posted by Tarbicus some time back, somewhere....

[Kineas]

Yannis--For a reenactment in the US or Canada, we figure just about the same--25K dollars per 1000 reenactors. In this case, I suspect we are including not just hoplites and peltasts, but anyone who wishes to recreate ANY aspect of Classical life--music, art, athletics. I'd just like to put in that if you reach out to the wider Classical recreation world from the first, you'll multiply the force you have.

Also perhaps worth tying in to Academia. I may be able to help with that.

however, as I said in an earlier post, the locale can expect to make between 500 and 750 a head per reenactor in tourist money. That's not a bad investment.

There's a media company already interested, although I'm not sure how serious they are. A documentary on the event and its creation would cost about 250K, and a historical using the event would cost another 250K, with a pretty wide sales potential--History Channel, etc.

This may all sound like pie in the sky, but once you involve media and money, governments often become MUCH easier to move.

[Marcus Germanicus Ferox]

Hi Yannis

OK - I hear where you are coming from but let's put it this way............

FOR Re-enactor

We are all there pushing in the phalanx, it's hot and dusty, you're tired, you lose concentration for a second and you take some guy's eye out with your Aichme by accident.

He's blinded for life and is gonna sue your ass off - extreme example I know but would you be covered????Would the Event???

For Memeber of the public

Peltasts are having a bit of fun or slingers - slingshot goes astray and hits a member of the public injuring them - they decide to sue your ass off too - again extreme but would you be covered??? Would the Event???

I suggest the answer would be NO in both cases.

Insurance IS and always will be A MUST.

If this event is to be even considered without said Insurance then I doubt you will see the H.A.

REMEMBER how my good friend and fellow member of the H.A. Paul Allen departed this world!!

So...... we agree on Insurance then Yannis - yes?

Kind regards


Mark.

[Kineas]

I just want to echo Marcus again. You/we have to have insurance. A single error (I really am parotting Marcus) can end your hobby--and your financial independence.
It's really pretty cheap for the peace of mind. My guys and gals pay $15 Canadian a year and they are covered for all reenacting related activity, including trekking (historical reenacting of camping in the wilderness). If we do a Marathon event, I'll add travel insurance to that, so that my Canadian insurance is available in a Greek hospital. Then I'm covered whether I'm injured or I injure someone else.
Finally, the site should have insurance. That'll cost them between $500 and $3500 dollars. It is just one of the expenses, and it's not just about us. Union film crews won't work a site without insurance! (They will for live feed, of course--but not for documentary, or so I'm told.)

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi guys,

I've let this very nice initiative run it's course before acting, but now it's clear that this thread belongs in the Events section. I've checked the discussion, but all 5 pages are about organising an event (and a very good one at that), but not about Greek military & archaeology. :wink:

[Kineas]

Fair enough. Tell me how to move the thread and I'll do it. (Sorry, my age is showing... or something.)

I would say, however, that it is VITAL that this thread remain available to those who have Greek impressions, and if we move it to the Roman dominated "events" forum a fear losing readership.

But what do I know? Please tell me off list how to move this and I'll do it. Or Giannis will--he's moved it before!

[Kineas]

Change of topic--could people who might attend respond about what they'd like to see at an event?

We have three years, and I, for one, am pretending that we'll get some funding. So dream big.

As a "for instance," I'd rather have a site that "looked" like Marathon, even if it was 6-10 miles distant. I'd like to camp, and cook, and have time to drill and talk to all the other reenactors who will come.
However, a couple of people off-list have suggested that they can't imagine camping, and they are more interested in more of a "pageant" or "parade" version, where perhaps we'd go to the monument, march around, etc. Which all ALSO sounds interesting to me.

And I assume that, as a bunch of us would be together, we'd want to serve academia and try out several of the drill and tactics theories, both those represented on this forum and those that are cropping up in recent PhD dissertations.

Left to myself, the centerpiece would be a battle--and a battle requires two sides, and that means we need to find Persians. And then we'd need to plan and script and maybe even practice the evolutions of the battle. Unlike the horse and musket period, a phalanx and a line of Persians can't just exchange the equivalent of musketry for a few hours... and that assumes that we can find somebody to play the Persians.

All of this would take TIME. So... what do you see in such an event, and how many days would you come for? those of us coming from Canada (I'm up to eleven so far) would tend to come for 9 days to two weeks, because once you're there, you might as well enjoy Greece! But we might not want to reenact for two weeks--you get where I'm going with this. People have jobs and real lives and we only have so much kit to wear... three days? four days? Go for a week, practice one weekend, go our separate ways,a nd meet up the next weekend to put on our show?

We have lots of time, but pretty soon, we should be putting a proposal in front of the Ministry of Culture--even if we deviate a little form the proposal later. So speak now!

And look for this thread to reappear soon on the Event boards.

[Kineas]

Tribes and Contingents

1. Erechthesis
2. Aegeis
3. Pandianis
4. Leontis
5. Acamantis
6. Oeneis
7. Cecropis
8. Hippothontis
9. Aeantis
10. Antiochis

And the Plataeans. Those are the Greek forces at Marathon, as best I know (someone will pounce now!)

May I suggest that we consider making national contingents into the ten tribes? And Plataea? That would give us 11 contingents, which could be sub-divided into demes and smaller if required.

Seems to me we have (at least):
Greece
UK
Australia
Germany
USA
Canada
Spain
Italy
with groups to contribute. Any others?

I know that the larger groups need to vote to decide if they want to support this. Can someone estimate how many Hoplite/Classical Greek impressions there are? My suspicion is that the numbers will grow... and it is for that very reason that it would be useful to start with structure.

Why? Well, first, because it is unfair to the organizer to place the burden of command and control on them! Second, because it is almost impossible for the organizer to guarantee the quality, the quantity, or event the insurance status of hundreds of independent reenactors, but it is relatively easy for the organizer to stay in contact with the contingent leaders (or the contingent councils, or whatever way each contingent chooses to align itself).
And the earlier we start this discussion, the easier it will be later.

[Perdiccas]

Can someone estimate how many Hoplite/Classical Greek impressions there are?

Then let's start the census :wink:
At the moment the Hetairoi have three members with classical Hoplite impressions. But i'm quite certain that in three years that number will have at least doubled, since we have a few more working on one. We have two Psiloi also.
Then we could bring along two or three Thracians, but because my expertise lies in the Hellenistic period i have no idea if and how they'd fit in :oops:
Finally we have our two hellenistic impressions, which certainly won't fit in. But I'm dead certain that Kallimachos and I would build a new kit for such an event.
Although I'd certainly love to be part of the phalanx, if you already can see that there's a dire need for Persians I'd also consider making a Persian kit.
Those numbers are of course provided that everyone can take part, but if the date is fixed early enough there's a good chance that could happen.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I'm sure you probably have this info, but these are the web sites for the National Tourist board or agency in Greece.

The address is: [email protected] , or info central @gnto.gr, or www.gnto.gr , or www.eot.gr

Hope it is of some use.

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Hello Perdikkas! Nice you are here! Kallimachos could fit in the phalanx with no change of his kit,his helm may be in the borders but he doesn't have to change anything. Your helmet,well,it's one of the greatest out there! I'd love to see it! But it's Hellenistic. I'm not responisble for checking the authenticity,this must be st to someone at some point,but I think no one could deny you wear your wonderful helmet in a large hoplite phalanx,provided you have an aspis! I'd be delighted,at least!
Kineas,I'd also like to do much drill and try different things,and also train enough to be able to drill well at some point. This would require the organiser or the "leader" to be in charge and everyone-even the group leaders(Strategoi) following him. Camping would be nice for me,even though I haven't done camping for a considerable time.
The battle...well If we have enough numbers I'd also want to try phananx vs phalanx,with hoplites pushing really hard,even without any weapons at all. I'd want to try different shield overlapping methods,close against open order othismos,and the battle against Persians,or at least one of them,should be just pushing. In fact,we could make just a line of Spara and some re-enactors holding them,and then fins as many attendants as possible,even not dressed,to opose the shielded phalanx,and see is there much to gain from a shield wall and an orderly line? Also to fins out,how many men can push one behind the other without braking ranks? The march to the monument,if the event is not actually held there,is essential,too.And a great place for a photograph(a thousand of) where evryone will be visible(on the hill).
I'll come back if I remember anything else. And please,keep this thread alive. People need to get to know about this.
Khairete
Giannis

[Kineas]

May I suggest that we start by saying that our event is open to all Hoplite impressions 550-320 BC? I think that pretending that we can limit our impressions to the Persian Wars will almost immediately alienate people. And I agree, Giannis--the touchstone will be the aspis. All the hoplites have to have one.

At the same time (I've said this before) I think we should bring Peltastoi and Psiloi impressions even if they are Pelop. War or later--first, so that we can make this the event it ought to be, and second because, while we're all together, we can also demonstrate other historical issues--like Peltasts vs. hoplites, and so on.

Persians! We need Persians!