Massive Cosplay to Recreate Battle of Marathon

[Greg Tito]

I get that there is a cultural difference between historical re-enactment and cosplay, but functionally how do they differ?

They both feature people dressing up as a chosen character as accurately as possible. The distinction being one source is fictional while the other is historical.

Not really much of a difference in my mind.

Greg

 

[Smooth Operator]

I'm predicting quite a few too well fed Spartans in that army

I hope there will be plenty of youtube coverage .

 

[Rex Fallout]

Ahhh reenacting. Just a fancy word for "lets play dress up."

THAT ISN'T TRUE! *kicks you into a pit*

Actually... Huh. Come to think of it, it is kind of like playing dress up. Oh well.

 

[Nimbus]

Reenactment is a lot harder than cosplay. In addition to making the "costumes" which we call "kit", you also have to be physically fit. You need to train regularly for quite a while before you'll be let onto a battlefield. I've trained every Wednesday night for a year, and only now am I graduating from spears to sword and shield. Also, have you ever tried running around in gambeson and chainmail, or even holding a shield up for an hour? That shit is HEAVY.

Reenactment also involves real fighting with real, blunted weapons. It's actually a little dangerous; you can't really do it without proper insurance. It also has serious educational value. My reenactment group is a college society funded by our University. Not to mention that many people make a living out of reenactment: I know many reenactors who earn their living out of making period clothes, weapons and armour. Besides, I don't know many cosplayers who would go camping in a period tent in the back end of nowhere to go training for a weekend.

So, yeah. Not cosplay.

 

[Avayu]

I'm predicting quite a few too well fed Spartans in that army

Sorry to nitpick, but I guess those people will go for historical accuracy, so there won't be any Spartans at all. Only Athenians and those guys from that other polis everyone forgets. Plataia, or something.

 

[Noswad]

I get that there is a cultural difference between historical re-enactment and cosplay, but functionally how do they differ?

They both feature people dressing up as a chosen character as accurately as possible. The distinction being one source is fictional while the other is historical.

Not really much of a difference in my mind.

Greg

Cos-play is just dressing up, while reenactment's focus is on historical martial arts, we do not dress up as characters. I am a member of a Wars of the roses reenactment group, in my group we only ever wear period clothing at events, where in our twice weekly training sessions we fight in modern clothing and bare minimum armour with real but blunted weapons(not that edges are needed in most cases, even a sword is nothing more than a glorified steel bar). I have great respect for anyone willing to put together(and wear in public) a cosplay costume, but i doubt they ever learn how to fight like there chosen characters or use weapons capable of doing serious harm.

and 200 hundred is not that large for a reenactment event, probably the largest Greek one i've heard off, if anyone want to see something like this try the battle of Tewksebury, i was at it this year i think there was about 2000 reenactors on the field.

 

[weirdee]

So, this isn't a re-enactment of the game Marathon [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_(video_game)]?

 

[SckizoBoy]

Uh, this isn't cosplay. The guys doing this would probably be pretty pissed at you calling them cosplayers, too.

Also, how is this news? Re-enactment on this scale happens all the time.

True, and it's not all that large to be fair... only 200. Probably 70 hoplites three or four deep, 100 Immortals ish and thirty guys on horses. I'm all *meh* about things like this because I get worked up about numbers (petty, I know).

I could go on about 'accuracy' but people would accuse me of being a killjoy. However, one thing I will ask: will they have any Persian ships?

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Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It's a legend borne from two events: Pheidippides' run from Athens to Sparta (and back) and the forced march of the Athenian army from Marathon back to Athens. Besides, the popular interpretation had him cry 'Νενικήκαμεν' (nenikekamen), not 'nike'.

wait 22.6 miles? so why is every marathon 26 miles? ahhhh what i've been told all this time has been a lie!! x.X

I think it's to do with the rehashed Marathon run when it first took place in London, the route being changed for one reason or another, and the length became 26 miles, though the actual distance between Athens and Marathon is closer to 25. But don't quote me on that.

 

[Blind Sight]

"The armies will even camp just like they did in 490 BC"

...

Bring on the dysentery!

And if you're lucky, the sodomy haha.

Looks interesting, but I wouldn't call it cosplay. I used to work for Fort Henry and performed re-enactments, and they are NOTHING like cosplay. They literally had a drill sergeant from the officers academy train us, old imperial style, minus the rum rations and beatings. It's not so much a game of 'hey, I'm going to put on this costume and goof around' it's 'oh shit, my boots better be shined or else he's going to yell at me again'.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Females were not permitted to sport. Sorry to ruin it for you.

Except Spartan women. Girls trained (in a similar state of undress) alongside their male counterparts and were allowed to participate in the Gymnopaedia and other athletics events.

On another note, this would be pretty cool to see. I do however hope they have some sort of requirement. Not everyone is built to wear a spartan armor

The Spartans weren't really involved, since they only appeared some three days after the battle merely to compliment the Athenians on a job well done before slinking back to the Peloponnesus. There was no uniform equipment except the basic panoply (aspis/dory/cuirass/kilt/greaves), but nothing was standardised except the spear (point, 9 feet-ish & sauroter) and the diameter of the shield. The cuirass was typically a linothorax-type affair, and bronze breastplates were the reserve of either the very well-off, or the professionals. Helms varied depending on individual wealth as well (Corinthian/Thracia/Chalcidean etc.).

So if it is to be 'accurate' expect it to be quite an eclectic affair (visually, that is).

 

[nexusix]

This is not at all "cosplay" - they are not reenacting Sailor Moon but a critical military battle in the development of our entire Western civilization. This is a reenacted event, not performed or played at, by archaeologists and local Greeks, not some tentacled sci-fi nightmare. Even Ren-fest isn't cosplay nor is a Civil War recreation. This article stretches itself to ennoble anime geeks at the price of real culture and history- in fact, it's not even an article- it's a forum post disguised as internet news. There is a difference between recreated and just fake. The fake stuff, especially the modern armies of it, is what really stinks of poopy armor.

 

[Greg Tito]

This is not at all "cosplay" - they are not reenacting Sailor Moon but a critical military battle in the development of our entire Western civilization. This is a reenacted event, not performed or played at, by archaeologists and local Greeks, not some tentacled sci-fi nightmare. Even Ren-fest isn't cosplay nor is a Civil War recreation. This article stretches itself to ennoble anime geeks at the price of real culture and history- in fact, it's not even an article- it's a forum post disguised as internet news. There is a difference between recreated and just fake. The fake stuff, especially the modern armies of it, is what really stinks of poopy armor.

Wow. That's a lot of er, history rage.

As I said before, cosplay and historical reenactment are basically the same thing. They just draw from different sources. Your post here underlines the fact that they also both carry a strong emotional weight for the people involved.

Greg