The Ermine Street Guard is a British

classical reenactment Classical reenactment tends to focus on portrayals of the Greco-Roman world, and especially on modern recreations of Roman legions and ancient Greek hoplites. Roman reenactment Most Roman reenacting groups generally portray one particular Roman ...

and

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

society, founded in 1972 by Chris Haines. Its main objective is to study and display weapons, tactics and equipment of the

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

of the first Century AD.Ermine Street Guard
website of ''The Sussex Archaeological Society'' retrieved 20 February 2016. It was named after

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln (''Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas'', ...

,Mean on Monday: Ermine Street Guard to go on the march again
, ''Gloucester Citizen'', 27 August 2012. a major Roman road from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to Lincoln and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

History

In 1972, a reenactment group was formed under the name ''Ermine Street Ghosts'', to help fund the restoration of the Witcombe and Bentham village hall. Initially, clothing and armour was manufactured for an eight men ''

contubernium A ''contubernium'' was a quasi-marital relationship in ancient Rome between a free citizen and a slave or between two slaves. A slave involved in such relationship was called ''contubernalis''. The term describes a wide range of situations, from ...

'' and the troop marched and performed for a crowd of 2500.Haines, C. (2007);
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ERMINE STREET GUARD
", Ermine Street Guard website, retrieved 20 February 2016. After the fundraiser requests came in for attendances at other events. A society was formed, more people joined and additional equipment was manufactured. Presently the society numbers some 50-60 members, from all over England and Wales. Nearly all of those are men, because no women are allowed to perform male roles for reasons of historical accuracy. In 2012 the society raised some £25,000 for the refurbishing of the village hall it was founded because of.

Authenticity

From the onset it was decided that clothes, weapons and equipment would have to look as historically accurate as possible, though at first the materials used were hardly that. Over the years the Guardsmen became more passionate about authenticity and nowadays the Ermine Street Guard is known for a certain perfectionism in this.Ermine Street Guard
www.archaeology.co.uk, retrieved 20 February 2016.Rare jongens, die Britten
''

de Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

'', retrieved 20 February 2016. Weapons and equipment are nearly all made by hand, using much the same tools and methods the Romans did, when possible. Over the years the society has remade much of its armour and equipment because research had proven the old ones not quite authentic. Consequently the society is frequently asked to pose for, or take part in more serious activities, like research and publications.

Activities and equipment

The Ermine Street Guard gives performances at archaeological or historical sites and events, in museums and in schools. Guardsmen are occasionally asked to perform in films or other media. The society takes part in practical research of Roman methods of manufacturing and operating artillery and other equipment. Scientific understanding of the Roman soldier's body armour, the '' lorica segmentata'' was helped by the activities of the Guard. The Ermine Street Guard also owns tents, cooking utensils, a ballista, a heavy crane and an onager, all as historically accurate as possible.An accident involving the onager and the roof of a Woodchester inhabitant was reported upon, with some British humour, by ''The Guardian'' in June 2000. Retrieve
online
20 February 2016.

Notes and references

External links

* {{Authority control Classical reenactment Historical reenactment groups