Re-enactment in the Press- this time good! Hastings 2006

[Peroni]

Quote:
Wouldn't be great if Kalkriese 2009 (or other events) could be even a fraction of this?

Jef wrote..

I really hope this event happens! It would be so great to have hundreds of romans in one place...

Oh! It's happening! :wink: :wink:

[James B.]

Hastings 2006 had several things we just can't match.

1) although there were 2000 re-enactors on the field, they came from all over the world, even from Canada and Australia. I doubt we can ever find the organisation/sponsor who can provide that kind of money.
If we could find the money, I think we could find the numbers too.

Um people came on there own dime, the reenactors were not paid they wanted to be there for the 2000 person battle.

[ambrosius]

Um people came on there own dime, the reenactors were not paid they wanted to be there for the 2000 person battle.

And for the booty, of course. Just like the original Normans :lol:
(That's the 11th c. sense of the word, meaning 'plunder' btw) :wink:

Ambrosius/Mike

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Well, should I make enough in the coming year or so, I want to be at Kalkriese.....My dream is to see a full Legion+ in the field, maybe one day :roll: 8)

[egfroth]

Only just noticed this thread.

It was my privelege to play the part of King Harold's little brother (hell, I'm 57), Earl Leofwine, which meant I was nominally leader of the English right wing, and in opposition to James B and the Bretons on the Norman left. I came all the way from Australia, along with about a dozen mates.

You can see me walking behind my big brother Harold as we march toward the battle in the video Valerius linked to -
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/serv ... /nav.10603 - I'm the one in the red cloak immediately behind King Harold, with a big axe over my shoulder, exactly 1.00 minute into the video (just before "Norman Cavalry Officer" gets interviewed).

I got to wear some amazing bling, make a speech to the assembled troops and die gloriously. I also had my own 20-man bodyguard of huscarls (high status professional warriors).

Oh, and it was on my birthday!

It just doesn't get better than that. I may just retire on my laurels.


Me at Hastings.


Me with about half my hearth-troop. I'm 5th from the left in the back row (with the pretty floral bordered square of mail on the chest)

I agree that a Roman battle re-enactment of this size isn't possible at present. However, the Viking/Saxon/Norman thing started out really small, too, and between the Big Ones (staged in years when the 14th of October falls on a Saturday), the re-enactments aren't all that big. It takes a LOT of organising to get one of these things up and running. Hastings 2006 was 6 years in the planning.

That doesn't mean a Roman battle couldn't be held. Quite the contrary. I can imagine there'd be enough hard-core Roman re-enactors available to put one on, at least on a small scale. If you combine it with a weekend of camping under proper field conditions and getting to know each other, it can be very worth while. One of the great benefits of this kind of thing is that people from different countries get to meet each other face to face.

One of the beauties of Roman re-enactment is that the Empire was so large that they had battles all OVER the place. It could well be possible to stage a battle on the actual site.

Personally I'd recommend one of the battles of the civil wars - then it's all Romans together - you don't have to find anyone to portray the Germans or Huns or Celts or whoever.

[egfroth]

The whole atmosphere must have been amazing....still looking for film of the cavalry charge... that I would have loved to watch..

Arthes

And so you shall . . .

From the English perspective . . . see here