Full blown combat or display only?

[John Conyard]

I think there is a middle ground to the initial question.

Let me start by saying I disagree with the view that the public like to see people hitting each other. I'm sure audiences vary. But Comitatus audience feedback forms suggest our audiences expect rather more. They certainly find the idea of grown men pretending to fall over dead very amusing and perplexing. After a while the public get bored of watching people hit each other. It's rather repetitive, unless of course you are taking part.

And I also disagree with the idea that people hitting each other is a good advert for re-enactment. It certainly allows the public to pigeon hole re-enactors as dangerous nutters, or even "cavorting ninnies". There really is little difference between two lines of people hitting each other no matter if they are dressed as Romans, Vikings, or whatever.

There are perhaps two exceptions to this rule.

Combat situations may enable you to demonstrate the differing manoeuvers or orders from each period. But that can also be done as part of a standard drill display. And if two sides contact each other it's back to hitting people. Differing period fighting styles are rarely brought out, except perhaps by Regia Anglorum and the various gunpowder societies.

Secondly, the public is draw to big battle spectaculars, especially if on the actual battle site. Lansdown (1643) in 1993 was very special, as was Hastings (1066) in 2006. But you really need at least around 1,000 per side for such events. Too often we witness just a few hundred trying to recreate a major battle, with no sense of scale or tactical truth.

If we have any pretension to entertain, or even educate, we need to be professional. We need to demonstrate what the real weapon was like and how it was used.

As long as individuals think about how they use the potentially lethal equipment, this is relatively easy for missile weapons. We can recreate the size and correct weight of the weapon, and find out how it was used and repaired. Amusingly old combat re-enactors who join Comitatus are often scared by the thought of carrying sharp weapons. They see it as requiring more discipline than carrying a blunt iron bar around with them.

Hand to hand combat is a different matter. We need to demonstrate the dynamic of each weapon. But we can't use accurate copies on each other. Luckily drill manuals give us the opportunity to use wooden swords and wicker shields, or blunt swords and capped spears. The combat can be displayed as training exercises, where we can demonstrate the correct heft of the weapon, and the associated moves involved. This allows us to entertain and educate. For example the very act of parrying with the shield alone makes the use of unauthentic armoured gloves no longer necessary. Authenticity and safety benefits.

I was going to conclude that in my opinion for training exercises are the way forward. However I suspect most Roman societies concluded that long ago.