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What period do you reenact?
Bronze Age (Please specify)
1%
 1%  [ 1 ]
Imperial Rome
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Iron Age Europe
1%
 1%  [ 1 ]
Migration Age Europe
10%
 10%  [ 6 ]
Viking Age Europe
15%
 15%  [ 9 ]
Crusades Europe/Middle East
18%
 18%  [ 11 ]
14th Century Europe (Please specify)
13%
 13%  [ 8 ]
15th Century Europe (Please specify)
18%
 18%  [ 11 ]
16th Century Europe (Please specify)
11%
 11%  [ 7 ]
17th Century Europe (Please specify)
1%
 1%  [ 1 ]
Napoleonic Era
1%
 1%  [ 1 ]
American Civil War
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Other (Please specify)
5%
 5%  [ 3 ]
Total Votes : 59

Author Message
Dan D'Silva





Joined: 28 Apr 2007

Posts: 313

PostPosted: Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:13 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I may be almost entirely a lurker here, but I couldn't resist voting.

Achaemenid Persian, period of Darius the Great and Xerxes I.

I'd had a vague interest in Persia since some time in college, probably stemming from having studied the Indo-Aryan migrations; also in Greece, about the romance of the fallen Mycenaean civilization and the relationship of later Greeks to it (but I couldn't reenact as a Greek because I don't feel like inflicting the sight of my bare legs on innocent people). On top of that, I've always felt like I'm on some other wavelength from everyone else and sometimes get drawn toward unpopular/obscure things.

So I was pre-set for it. I'd enjoyed a few archery classes, and made an akinakes for my dagger collection 'cause I thought it looked neat. Then I came across this thread. That pretty well settled it.

I'm also sort of interested in GAoP, French and Indian Wars, the Pennsylvania longhunters, that whole period, but I can't afford any more kit right now.
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Mark Griffin




Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys.
Joined: 28 Dec 2006

Posts: 802

PostPosted: Fri 06 Mar, 2015 10:35 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If you do it for a living, each and everyone of them...... But happiest when shoving a tree at a friends head whilst mounted and wearing a jousting harness....
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Christopher Gregg




Location: Louisville, KY
Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Reading list: 2 books

Posts: 675

PostPosted: Fri 06 Mar, 2015 4:10 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I reenact the 18th Century French and Indian and American Revolutionary War period. And yes, I wear and demonstrate period swords and bladed weapons, in addition to flintlock muskets, rifles and pistols. I often portray a Scottish-born immigrant, which plays well into my actual family heritage, and is still pretty accurate with my biological age.
Christopher Gregg

'S Rioghal Mo Dhream!
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Mark Griffin




Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys.
Joined: 28 Dec 2006

Posts: 802

PostPosted: Sat 07 Mar, 2015 12:53 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'd have thought, based on nothing more than my vague knowledge of the US scene, that the Civil War could muster far more people than other periods? No idea how the revolutionary war/medieval splits but I'm assuming the latter is stronger but depends how you define the parameters and especially if you combine both the FIW and the Independence eras Guys in plastic armour and boffer sticks don't compare to Christopher above really.

Over here the largest scene numbers wise is difficult to say but surprisingly for many years it was also the American Civil War, with our own 17th cent civil War following close behind. I think they are about equal now. The South still outstrips the North numbers wise here but Royalist/parliament is about 50/50 I think. Still one of the most impressive battle I've been involved with (as an organiser) was one with a decent Union battery, exciting landscape with a decent hill, woods, and a river, room for cavalry, ground charges and lots and lots of participants. We had a great fog of war moment and for a wee moment a field in Northamptonshire was back to 1864 Virginia.

Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Tom King




Location: florida
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Likes: 2 pages

Posts: 429

PostPosted: Sat 07 Mar, 2015 1:56 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

My unscientific opinion of US reenactment from most to least "popular" goes a follows

US civil war
Enough said. No other event can muster thousands of reenactors for fictional battles, let alone tens of thousands for reenactments such as gettysburg

"Renaissance festivals"
aviators with a Prince Valiant shirt and yard of beer. Multiple per state and all good fun.

"Cowboy" reenactment
cowboy action shooting and mountain man festivals. relatively popular, but an expensive niche

American Revolution reenactment/colonial period
Outside of St.Augustine (and other tourist attractions) and a few living history demonstrations coinciding with anniversaries of major battles it's a sadly underrepresented period.

"Medieval" reenactment
Guys and Gals like us who invest time and money in perfecting a certain period of dress, arms, etc. and then go buy yards of beer with Prince Valiant Laughing Out Loud

My main focus is 15th century reenactment. I can swap up my gear to be anything from a Agincourt Campaign Longbowman to a Burgundian/English man at arms from the close of the hundred years war to a generic central European man at arms.
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Mark Griffin




Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys.
Joined: 28 Dec 2006

Posts: 802

PostPosted: Sat 07 Mar, 2015 2:14 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

a fine and honest posting!
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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J. Nicolaysen




Location: Wyoming
Joined: 03 Feb 2014
Likes: 32 pages

Posts: 795

PostPosted: Sun 08 Mar, 2015 10:39 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thank you all for posting. I like to hear about it if I ever get the opportunity to do something more serious than my simple collecting and research.

Christopher Gregg:
Quote:
I reenact the 18th Century French and Indian and American Revolutionary War period. And yes, I wear and demonstrate period swords and bladed weapons, in addition to flintlock muskets, rifles and pistols. I often portray a Scottish-born immigrant, which plays well into my actual family heritage, and is still pretty accurate with my biological age.


That's an awesome kit! While my main interest right now is weapons, I've enjoyed the first steps towards putting together the soft kit for a Danelaw-period guy. I've got boots, tunic, leg wrappings and pants, as well as a belt and some other things.

Focusing only on weapons can be very fun, but it seems to me that a person gets more deep into the time they are trying to study when they develop the soft kit. If there's available information (archaeological finds, period art, etc.) a person can really think about portraying a particular occupation or type of person. That part is really cool, but challenging.

As a recovering college teacher, I understand the impulse to educate others about a time period. That is a very strong thread in a lot of replies. My own chances are pretty limited since I'm not interested in the periods available around here, although they are interesting in themselves. Just not something I would prefer to spend time and money on.

Matthew Amt and Mark Griffin, I am constantly amazed at the breadth and depth of your reenactment. Matthew you have way more interest and ability than I for DIY projects, but the things you and others post here are really cool. The "show us your kits and harness" thread has great pictures, but not usually much info about the specific things people have made or bought, and why they made those choices. It's hard to single out anyone like Matthew and Mark when there are so many nice set ups and info here.

Yeah soft kits are really neat to me right now as I try to learn about "the things they carried" throughout time.

Thanks for the responses, all. I can't think of a specific question right now, but it is nice to read the responses and hear about the different motivations, time periods studied and choice of what to work on and build up. Always nice to hear more.
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Mark Griffin




Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys.
Joined: 28 Dec 2006

Posts: 802

PostPosted: Sun 08 Mar, 2015 11:53 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I notice nobody has put anything for the least popular reenactment to do....
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Mike Janis




Location: Atlanta GA
Joined: 26 Feb 2007

Posts: 30

PostPosted: Mon 09 Mar, 2015 8:13 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I voted 16th century (I do 1565 Malta), but the poll left off two major eras: ECW and American Fur Trade (buckskinners).
MikeJ
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J. Nicolaysen




Location: Wyoming
Joined: 03 Feb 2014
Likes: 32 pages

Posts: 795

PostPosted: Mon 09 Mar, 2015 8:34 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Quote:
I voted 16th century (I do 1565 Malta), but the poll left off two major eras: ECW and American Fur Trade (buckskinners).

Thanks Mike. I clearly left out a great many specific periods that I was unaware were more developed for reenactment than my broad categories. Why is the ECW such a popular time for reenactment? I didn't think anyone liked either side anymore, really.
Laughing Out Loud Well it was a pivotal time, for sure, and recent enough to be able to use good sources I would think.

American Fur Trade is one of four options of reenactment available to me locally, the others being the "cowboy reenactment", homesteading era and the "Indian wars". And in fact I have acquaintances and friends who do these. While I've always had a strong interest in the history of the time, I just have never been drawn to doing reenactment of these myself. Given my job and my own family's history, it doesn't really seem a stretch to actually reenact. My cousin who does LH at the Fort here went to Gettysburg for the 150th anniversary battle reenactment and was a cavalry officer, bringing his own horse all the way across the country for it. He had a great time.

Quote:
I notice nobody has put anything for the least popular reenactment to do....

Well Mark, there was mention of bronze age chariot warfare reenactment. Sounds like a fun project! Otherwise I guess we have to go to Byzantine reenactment as the loneliest time amongst members here actively reenacting.
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