army

The 2,500th Anniversary of the Battle of Plataea, 26-31 July 2022. Recreating the Cavalry

Author(s)
John Conyard 1 ✉
Publication Date

Introduction

Delayed by the pandemic, the 2022 event was organised with the support of the local community, the Ephorate of Antiquities, and the re-enactment group ‘Hoplologia’ lead by Christian Cameron.  Using re-enactors to commemorate their Classical history was, for a variety of political and religious reasons, an important step for the Greek authorities to take. Christian gathered around ninety very experienced and passionate re-enactors and reconstructors in Plataea from at least eight different counties, at their own expense.

Evaluation of Mail Horse-Armour

Author(s)
David Jones 1 ✉,
Emma Herbert-Davies 2
Publication Date
This study was undertaken to gain an understanding of the effectiveness of mail armour in protecting horses against arrow shot, and to assess the circumstances in which such armour might play a useful role. Since the protection given by mail is largely dependent on the thickness of the underlying padding, a preliminary step was to estimate the maximum thickness of padding that could be worn by the horse...

Traction Trebuchet

Author(s)
Siri Hjelsvold 1 ✉,
Simon McCallum 2
Publication Date
The trebuchet, in all its forms, was very much in vogue in the reenactment and research community in the 1980s and 1990s. Several museums around the world have also built their own, with Middelaldercenteret in Nykøbing Falster in Denmark as one of the first modern examples of counterweight trebuchet (Hansen, 1989). Despite the multitude of builds, very little has been published about...

Castrum Corcagiensis - Roman Experimental Archaeology in Ireland

Author(s)
Martin McAree 1 ✉
Publication Date
Barrack blocks were a central feature in any Roman fort and functioned as the living spaces for a Century and its officers. While Roman forts varied in size from just over an acre for a simple ‘numerius’ fort, to over 55 acers for some large ‘legionary’ forts such as Deva (Chester), the layout of a barrack block...

Interview: the Association of Historical Studies Koryvantes

Author(s)
Márta Pócza 1 ✉
Publication Date
“The Koryvantes Association was founded in 2009 by people with a background in the study of ancient Greek warfare who were not satisfied by the level of reconstructions undertaken so far in Greece and internationally and who wished to ultimately adopt a framework based on experimental archaeological methodology...

Interview: Ancient Hoplitikon, "Poorer Cousin" to History Academia or alternative XXI Century Interpretation of History?

Author(s)
Márta Pócza 1 ✉
Publication Date
I liaise with a number of living history groups globally, which all share the same aims and objectives of researching and actively pursuing experimental archaeology related to Ancient Greece and Rome. By networking, we create a foundation of knowledge that meets our framework for understanding the past, whether it be military martial arts, polytheism...

Book Review: Die römische Armee im Experiment by Chr. Koepfer, F. W. Himmler & J. Löffl

Author(s)
Xenia Pauli Jensen 1 ✉
Publication Date
This book is a result of a long-term project, Legio XIII Gemina, situated at the Universität Augsburg, Germany, with the purpose of establishing experimental archaeology as an integrated part of the education program. Around 20 students took part in a seminar from 2009 to 2011 under the supervision of Professor Dr Gregor Weber and Christian Koepfer MA...

The Use of Metal Moulds to Cast Lead Weights onto the Wooden Shaft of a Plumbata

Author(s)
David Sim 1 ✉
Publication Date
Plumbata - Plural plumbatae. a projectile weapon used during the latter part of the Roman period – a fletched dart. They usually consisted of a barbed iron head with a lead weight fitted to a fletched wooden shaft. Plumbatae have been found on several sites in Britain and abroad and written evidence for their existence has been reported in the fourth century by Vegitius...

Varus and the Lost Legions in Sagnlandet Lejre - A Re-enactment Success?

Author(s)
Ane Jepsen 1 ✉
Publication Date

In July 2009 a battle took place in Sagnlandet Lejre, in the heart of Zealand in Denmark. The battle was a dramatized re-enactment of the historical battle of Teutoburg forest in Niedersachsen in the year 9 AD - also known as the Varus Battle. Why should such a re-enactment event take place in Denmark - over 100 kilometres from the presumed site of the historic battle?...