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Thread: Marathon Reenactment
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ATHENS — Schinias Beach near Athens is no stranger to hordes in sandals flocking here every summer -- but a group arriving next week is less interested in the area's blue waters and seaside taverns.
A re-enactment of the Battle of Marathon is to be held here on September 10 to commemorate the historic Greek-Persian showdown in 490 BCE, with hundreds of participants in armour from around the world, organisers say
The three-day amateur event on the presumed battlefield, which has since been altered by soil erosion, will showcase Greek and Persian combat as well as dance, literature, crafts and cultural features from the Archaic period.
But the main feature will be a planned confrontation between the Greek and Persian 'armies', composed of up to 200 experimental archaeology fans.
"It has taken us three years to equip even that many," says Christian Cameron, a Canadian novelist and former US navy career officer.
"Correct armour and weapons -- not to mention period textiles and dyes -- take hundreds of hours to make," the 49-year-old organiser told AFP.
"Most people at Marathon will be wearing five to ten thousand euros ($7,200-14,500) worth of equipment, much of it made by hand," adds Cameron, who intends to portray an unnamed Greek aristocrat.
In addition to their custom-made armour and clothing, the participants will carry modified weapons including safe-edge spears for the Greeks and rubber-head arrows for the Persians.
"I believe this meeting will be the largest ever held in Greece, both in participants and duration," said Yiannis Kadoglou, a 23-year-old agronomy student from Thessaloniki.
One of history's most famous military engagements -- and one of the first to be recorded -- the Battle of Marathon is considered to have changed Europe's fate.
It galvanised the warring Greek city-states and demonstrated that the Persian Empire, the superpower of the age, could be defeated.
Aside from fighting, the re-enacters also plan period cooking, camping, an archery demonstration and a sprint in armour, "to show just how many shots a Persian archer could get off while a Greek hoplite charged him," Cameron says.
The organisers have asked the Culture Ministry for permission to march from the ancient Agora in Athens to the Acropolis in celebration of the victory.
No response has been given so far, though the local municipality is helping the initiative with camping and logistical support.
"We understand that these are difficult times in Greece, but we're a little startled by the lack of interest," Cameron says.
"I'd love to talk to the minister for ten minutes about the potential for re-enacting to enhance both Greek culture and tourism," he adds.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...e9706a3a05.1a1ATHENS — Schinias Beach near Athens is no stranger to hordes in sandals flocking here every summer -- but a group arriving next week is less interested in the area's blue waters and seaside taverns.
A re-enactment of the Battle of Marathon is to be held here on September 10 to commemorate the historic Greek-Persian showdown in 490 BCE, with hundreds of participants in armour from around the world, organisers say
The three-day amateur event on the presumed battlefield, which has since been altered by soil erosion, will showcase Greek and Persian combat as well as dance, literature, crafts and cultural features from the Archaic period.
But the main feature will be a planned confrontation between the Greek and Persian 'armies', composed of up to 200 experimental archaeology fans.
"It has taken us three years to equip even that many," says Christian Cameron, a Canadian novelist and former US navy career officer.
"Correct armour and weapons -- not to mention period textiles and dyes -- take hundreds of hours to make," the 49-year-old organiser told AFP.
"Most people at Marathon will be wearing five to ten thousand euros ($7,200-14,500) worth of equipment, much of it made by hand," adds Cameron, who intends to portray an unnamed Greek aristocrat.
In addition to their custom-made armour and clothing, the participants will carry modified weapons including safe-edge spears for the Greeks and rubber-head arrows for the Persians.
"I believe this meeting will be the largest ever held in Greece, both in participants and duration," said Yiannis Kadoglou, a 23-year-old agronomy student from Thessaloniki.
One of history's most famous military engagements -- and one of the first to be recorded -- the Battle of Marathon is considered to have changed Europe's fate.
It galvanised the warring Greek city-states and demonstrated that the Persian Empire, the superpower of the age, could be defeated.
Aside from fighting, the re-enacters also plan period cooking, camping, an archery demonstration and a sprint in armour, "to show just how many shots a Persian archer could get off while a Greek hoplite charged him," Cameron says.
The organisers have asked the Culture Ministry for permission to march from the ancient Agora in Athens to the Acropolis in celebration of the victory.
No response has been given so far, though the local municipality is helping the initiative with camping and logistical support.
"We understand that these are difficult times in Greece, but we're a little startled by the lack of interest," Cameron says.
"I'd love to talk to the minister for ten minutes about the potential for re-enacting to enhance both Greek culture and tourism," he adds.
Anyone in Greece that can film some of it?
I've been following the forums of Taxeis Plataiai for a while now, and if they are anything to go by, it will be a very good reenactment. They won't be speaking real Ancient Greek, but aside from that they've gone to incredibly long lengths for high accuracy in their portrayals.
intresting to see full scale re in actments going on
That's very cool, hopefully at least something on youtube will be posted...
I have my theories about what happened, from reading here and there, but it will be nice to see what results they can get about the hoplite rush and persian arrow fire...
I have my theories about what happened, from reading here and there, but it will be nice to see what results they can get about the hoplite rush and persian arrow fire...
Why no steel arrowheads.....
Hey ASM you told me about other reenactment ideas a couple years back. Why don't you or some of us type an outline and reenact in EBO, save the replay, and I'll make a cinematic and post it online?
Originally Posted by vartan:
Hey ASM you told me about other reenactment ideas a couple years back. Why don't you or some of us type an outline and reenact in EBO, save the replay, and I'll make a cinematic and post it online?
Because AYE... Will make the cinematic.Hey ASM you told me about other reenactment ideas a couple years back. Why don't you or some of us type an outline and reenact in EBO, save the replay, and I'll make a cinematic and post it online?
Besides, I've always wanted to do reenactments.
~Jirisys ()
I don't want to wear armor with nipples, just look what happened in that one Batman movie - turned out horrible.
Originally Posted by Lazy O:
Why no steel arrowheads.....
because steel arrow heads have more chance killing a person then a rubber oneWhy no steel arrowheads.....
Exactly :D
Originally Posted by antisocialmunky:
I don't want to wear armor with nipples, just look what happened in that one Batman movie - turned out horrible.
you're not feeling sexy enough thenI don't want to wear armor with nipples, just look what happened in that one Batman movie - turned out horrible.
but maybe that kind of armour was sort of exggregation, they maybe can forge muscle shape, but doing little nicks for nipples seems impractical a lot.
Originally Posted by vartan:
Why don't you or some of us type an outline and reenact in EBO, save the replay, and I'll make a cinematic and post it online?
I would really like to help out if we get this up and running ^^Why don't you or some of us type an outline and reenact in EBO, save the replay, and I'll make a cinematic and post it online?
Originally Posted by Arjos:
I would really like to help out if we get this up and running ^^
We'll need all the people we can get, but ASM always just teases and never really offers any substantive outline of what he envisions. That...son of a gun I would really like to help out if we get this up and running ^^
Only problem here is that we dont have anything resmbling the Anusya.
I would have loved to be there but I was working .
If I get any pictures or videos I'll be sure to post them here .
Satyros
If I get any pictures or videos I'll be sure to post them here .
Satyros
To be continued .
Satyros
A friend went and these are the pictures he took of the event .
Can't say anything else on the event , as I wasn't there .
Seems nice though .
:D
Satyros
Thank you very much for sharing them Satyros :)
Persians look fantastic! Not to mention all those bronze plates :O
Persians look fantastic! Not to mention all those bronze plates :O
Great job (friend of) Satyros! 
I really wish I could have been there, it looks absolutely fantastic.
Thanks for the photos. Must have been fun.
Sad to see way, way too few Persians though. I guess Greece and Turkey still aren't on good enough terms to invite hundreds of Turkish re-enactors to come to Greece and do the Persian side justice. And unfortunately Syria and Iran don't allow free travel.
Sad to see way, way too few Persians though. I guess Greece and Turkey still aren't on good enough terms to invite hundreds of Turkish re-enactors to come to Greece and do the Persian side justice. And unfortunately Syria and Iran don't allow free travel.
Anyone can dress up like that. Not as if the whole army was made up exclusively of persians anyways.
I heard there was a large Persian group from Bulgaria that was going to go, but they weren't there, not sure why.
fantastic
Thanks very much the pictures!
Originally Posted by Titus Marcellus Scato:
Sad to see way, way too few Persians though. I guess Greece and Turkey still aren't on good enough terms to invite hundreds of Turkish re-enactors to come to Greece and do the Persian side justice. And unfortunately Syria and Iran don't allow free travel.
I am a bit puzzled by this comment, since neither the Turks nor the Syrians have a connection to the Persian Empire. IIRC the Syrians are mostly Arab, but they definitely aren't Iranian. The only common denominator between Turkey, Syria and Iran is that they're Muslim countries; but the Persian Empire was not.Sad to see way, way too few Persians though. I guess Greece and Turkey still aren't on good enough terms to invite hundreds of Turkish re-enactors to come to Greece and do the Persian side justice. And unfortunately Syria and Iran don't allow free travel.
Well I guess it's more due to the reenactors preferences, thus you'd find few reenactors in Greece who have a Persian panoply at home, but quite a lot with a hoplon. In syria, Iran and Turky the general bias is probably different and thus you'd have mentionable numbers of "persians".
Plus a wicker paravent and an ancient Pajama is not nealy as impressive as an Aspis and a Corinthean ;) tho much more usefull in the world of today^^
Edit: great photos, looks like quite an event :)
Plus a wicker paravent and an ancient Pajama is not nealy as impressive as an Aspis and a Corinthean ;) tho much more usefull in the world of today^^
Edit: great photos, looks like quite an event :)
Hey , no prob guys , I wish I could post a full report of the day too ...
:(
Anyway , I may find some more photos from another friend .
Do you want them ?
Or have you seen enough ?
Mind you , not pro-level photos , just some more similar to the above ones .
I can also post some small ( about a minute- minute and a half ) videos .
Let me know , as I don't want to spam photos etc all over the thread .
Satyros
:(
Anyway , I may find some more photos from another friend .
Do you want them ?
Or have you seen enough ?
Mind you , not pro-level photos , just some more similar to the above ones .
I can also post some small ( about a minute- minute and a half ) videos .
Let me know , as I don't want to spam photos etc all over the thread .
Satyros
Spam?! lol
These are interesting pictures, not random cat memes XD
These are interesting pictures, not random cat memes XD
Originally Posted by Ludens:
I am a bit puzzled by this comment, since neither the Turks nor the Syrians have a connection to the Persian Empire. IIRC the Syrians are mostly Arab, but they definitely aren't Iranian. The only common denominator between Turkey, Syria and Iran is that they're Muslim countries; but the Persian Empire was not.
The common denominator between Turkey, Syria and Iran is that their land was part of the Persian Empire at the time of the Battle of Marathon, so in terms of reenacting that battle, re-enactors from those countries are more likely to identify with the Persian side than they are with the Greek side. That's obviously not true for most re-enactors from Greece itself. So if Turks, Syrians, and Iranians had come, there would have been a lot more 'Persians' at the re-enactment. Hence it's a shame there weren't hundreds of people from those countries at the event.I am a bit puzzled by this comment, since neither the Turks nor the Syrians have a connection to the Persian Empire. IIRC the Syrians are mostly Arab, but they definitely aren't Iranian. The only common denominator between Turkey, Syria and Iran is that they're Muslim countries; but the Persian Empire was not.
Originally Posted by Titus Marcellus Scato:
The common denominator between Turkey, Syria and Iran is that their land was part of the Persian Empire at the time of the Battle of Marathon, so in terms of reenacting that battle, re-enactors from those countries are more likely to identify with the Persian side than they are with the Greek side. That's obviously not true for most re-enactors from Greece itself. So if Turks, Syrians, and Iranians had come, there would have been a lot more 'Persians' at the re-enactment. Hence it's a shame there weren't hundreds of people from those countries at the event.
Just want to point out the dangers of such invalid reasoning. Take southern California, for instance, which is where I'm from. At least a portion of this land was where the Chumash community lived for many years. "So in terms of reenacting" any sort of battle or acting as a Chumash warrior, being from this land, does that make me "more likely to identify with the [Chumash]"? Not really. But considering Orientalism as the late Professor Edward Said has outlined it, it isn't surprising at all to come across similar expectations of peoples from the (Middle) East.The common denominator between Turkey, Syria and Iran is that their land was part of the Persian Empire at the time of the Battle of Marathon, so in terms of reenacting that battle, re-enactors from those countries are more likely to identify with the Persian side than they are with the Greek side. That's obviously not true for most re-enactors from Greece itself. So if Turks, Syrians, and Iranians had come, there would have been a lot more 'Persians' at the re-enactment. Hence it's a shame there weren't hundreds of people from those countries at the event.
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