Re-eneactors focusing too much attention on the principate?

[jvrjenivs]

sure. But I don't know who is to blame. I'm both re-enactor and have been organising several big events in the Netherlands. As a re-enactor I like to show the 'unusual' and 'unknown'. Next to my Flavian kit I therefore also have an late Roman and an early kit. (and one even earlier to follow). It's nice to get this impression together (both harder in research and in 'of the shelf' kit available.)

But, as an event organiser I have to opposite. People first do not see a time differences if you don't tell them. So, you have to make sure that different periods have distinctive area's within the event. So I think it is better to have 10 flavian legionairies as 1 different person from every century of the Roman period. Next, that is also not what the people would like to see. If they go to a "Roman event", they simply expect segmentata (here in the Netherlands mainly due to Asterix and Obelix booklets and history classes). It's horrible, but as long as you don't show stereotypes (albeit they are wrong!) they will be go home disappointed, even when you tried to explain the segmentata was a minor type of Roman military equipment.

That doesn't mean I'm not busy with getting another Later Roman event going on, hopefully soon and that I would greatly encourage to show different periods within all things Roman, but people (and most starting re-enactors) simply go for the stereotype (which also has the easiest available (re)sources, both in research as in kit).

Anyway, this are just my 2 denarii