Thinking of doing Roman reenacting?

[Adam]

Hi all my name is Adam and i am just think of doing Roman reenacting. I know little to almost nothing about Rome the Roman why of life other then watching a few programs on the history Chanel and movie not that movies are a big help lol. I don't even know if Roman reenacting is for me. I do ww2 and civil war reenacting and from time to time Mohawk for rev war. But Roman looks like fun so how do i start? I live in Arizona and don't know of any groups out here. Being in the Desert I think it would be better to to an impression of a soldier in the holy land maybe even a soldier in King Herod's Army. But don't even know what that looks like. So any help you can give is welcome.
Adam

[M. Demetrius]

Welcome to RAT, Adam.

Last I heard, there was a group in Nevada, if you're in the North of AZ, and there is a group in SoCal, based in the Los Angeles area. That might help you get started, but for general startup info, how-to and lists of do and don't bullet points, try here:
http://www.larp.com/legioxx/

[Magnus]

Hey Adam,

For reenacting I did the opposite as you...did Roman first, now I'm getting into black powder (1812).

They are very, very different from each other. With my Roman gear, I've made the vast majority of it myself...with 1812 I haven't made a damned thing. The events I find are different as well, the majority of the 1812 ones I've gone to have been public ones, with actual specific battle reenactments.

With Roman, I tend to stick to the non-public events, and do immersion based ones. I find it's an easier way to get a good feel for the life style.

Having said that, I would sincerely give it a try. If you have any interest in Roman equipment (arms and armour) at the very least you can spend a minimal amount of money and purchase some basic gear that will allow you to participate at an event.

What is your email addres? I have a pdf for newcomers to Roman reenacting that you may find useful. You can send me your email addy via pm, to avoid any spam-bots stealing it.

Anyway, to sum up...it's well worth it. It will open all kinds of doors for you...

[M. CVRIVS ALEXANDER]

Hi Adam,

If you do an impression of a Roman legionary, his equipment would be the same regardless of the current area of service, the deserts of Syria or the forests of Germany. Herod the Great had his own army, not Roman (although he was aided by the Roman troops on several occasions and apparently had some Roman officers in charge of his units—Josephus mentions two).

[Magnus]

Yeah, the only difference may have been clothing...it can get very cold and hot in different parts of the empire.

[Gaius Colletti]

To start Adam, at the bare minimum, you will need a tunic (Linen or Wool are the most authentic), a military belt called a "balteus", military boots/sandals called "caligae", as well as a sword, and some means to wear it.

Other gear that will come in handy as you go (to get what people will immediately recognize as a Roman legionary) will be the helmet and armor, lorica sementata (plate armor) and lorica hamata (chainmail) are the most common.

A shield called a scutum and a throwing spear called a pila are in my opinion the finishing touches.

I have just gotten into doing reenactment impressions this year, and 6 months after I began, I feel relatively happy with my kit, though I still am in need of the pila and scutum.

You can check out my impression, as well as many others in this link (mine is near the bottom of the page): http://romanarmytalk.com/rat.html?func=v...start=2680

That is mid first century impression, just about all gear is different depending on what era you want to portray. Don't make mistakes that myself as well as several others have done and buy cheap items thinking "it looks the part" as a fellow reenactor, I'm sure you realize how hazardous that can be. Many of us are happy to be consulted with what equipment is appropriate. Expect to spend about $500 for a frugal store bought kit, though nearly everything we have can be made by hand if you have the tools, time, and some skill (though not much skill I'm told, most of us are 21st Century humans with no prior experience on this stuff). Feel free to ask away...