Forwards into the past: Reenactment and Living History in Carnuntum
By Nisa Iduna Kirchengast - Editors: Daniel Kunc, Thomas Mauerhofer
LEGIO XV APOLLINARIS enters the grounds of the Roman festival. The armour is all handmade according to historical models.
With sword drawn, shield raised and gleaming armour, the Roman legionary takes another step forward. The iron on his body weighs far more than his already considerable weight. He breathes heavily, his thoughts briefly straying to the places of his childhood, but a shout from his officer brings him back abruptly. An impressive Germanic force has formed up in front of him and his comrades-in-arms.
What may have happened 2,000 years ago, and not without good reason still captures our imagination in numerous books, films and series, is also happening this September in the Roman town of Carnuntum. At the Roman Festival, past and present merge and visitors suddenly find themselves in the centre of antiquity, surrounded by the sounds and stories of times long past.
Despite all historical accuracy, re-enactment is always entertainment. The German group ‘Ewerlingas Alamanni’ with a rather drastic insight into ancient law enforcement.
The Roman town of Carnuntum has been combining history with entertainment since 1997. The Roman Festival in September as well as the newly developed Carnuntum Time Travel in August (formerly the Late Antiquity Festival) not only offer insights into the ancient life of a town on the edge of the Roman Empire, but also bring the people of that era back to life. At the Roman Festival, more than 300 re-enactors help to authentically recreate life in the Roman city. Similar festivals can also be found in other archaeological museums in Lower Austria, such as the Mamuz, as well as in various other countries, such as Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain.
The festivals focus on ‘reenactment’ and ‘living history’, two methods of communicating history. Reenactment recreates specific historical events, while living history focuses on the general everyday life of past times. Both approaches are based on scientific research and offer visitors a first-hand experience of Roman history. The presentation is not only entertaining, but also historically documented, which is particularly important for imparting knowledge.
At Living History, every piece of equipment corresponds to a historically documented original. Here brought to perfection by the group ‘Thuringi’.
Public history is a discipline that has set itself the goal of making history accessible and tangible to a broad public. Reenactment, living history and experimental archaeology are an essential part of this mediation work. The experimental archaeological approach of carrying out experiments based on scientific principles in order to investigate the functionality of tools, weapons, armour or structures also serves to draw scientific benefits from the groups' presentations. This ‘performing’ archaeology primarily involves the presentation and re-enactment of archaeological finds, such as clothing, jewellery, tools or weapons, and their use. The boundaries to re-enactment, i.e. experience-orientated presentation, are increasingly blurred, especially in museum presentations.
Reenactment and living history claim to open up new insights for research through their activities. In the field of gladiatorial combat, for example, much could be proven through practice. The picture shows two fighters from the Familia Gladiatoria Carnuntina, Carnuntum's own gladiator troupe, at the Roman festival.
The performers often invest months, sometimes even years, to bring their equipment into line with current research. To this end, research work is scrutinised, compared with original finds and historical depictions are also used for comparison. The importance of these forms of communication is particularly evident in Carnuntum, where the past becomes tangible through personal ‘hands-on’ experiences. The combination of science and public history makes Carnuntum a prime example of a successful combination between the cultural mediation of a museum and dedicated re-enactment groups and associations, which has been attracting people of all ages for decades. In Austria and many other (European) countries, there are numerous associations that have specialised in Roman life and maintain their role not only during the festivals, but often beyond, in order to offer the most authentic experience possible.
Reenactment is also much more than the depiction of active combat. Here the group ‘Project Periphery’ cooking according to an ancient model.
At this year's ‘Carnuntum Time Travel’, for example, we hosted a wide range of different (social) classes, from the imperial court of Valentinian I to Germanic groups such as the Alamanni and Thuringi to simple shepherds. Groups from all over Europe will once again come to Carnuntum for the Roman Festival.
Reenactment, although often used as a synonym for the entire scene, is strictly speaking the depiction of a specific event. Here you can see Gezá Frank in his parade role as Valentinian I during the audience that was to cost him his life.
The two festivals are examples of how the Roman town of Carnuntum brings history to life through events based on scientific research. Here, visitors can not only watch, but also actively participate, be it by learning Roman craftsmanship or experiencing historical battles. Carnuntum has managed to combine science and the presentation of history to create a unique world of experience that goes far beyond what you would expect in a traditional museum. For this very reason, it remains a lively place of learning and experience, where past and present merge.
If you take a closer look at the material, you soon realise that Living History is often much more subtle art than pure fighting, as can be seen in this impressive masterpiece.
Further reading:
M. Grossmann, Experiencing History. Living History, Reenactment and Experimental Archaeology in Practice, in: M. Grossmann - T. Hellmuth - M. Tschiggerl - T. Walach (eds.), Go Public! Approaches to Public History (Wiesbaden 2024) 115-125.