ABSTRACT
Reenactment has also long played a significant role in popular culture. Scenes from the Trojan War and other episodes of Greek mythic history were regularly performed in the theatres of Athens. Traditionally, and indeed today, practices of reenactment may be conducted to appease the Gods, to expiate sin, to commemorate the achievements of ancestors, to assert authority, to promote social unity, or to transmit technical knowledge between generations. The internal culture of reenactment communities values deep historical knowledge in matters of daily life and material culture, technical skills that facilitate creative reconstruction such as needlework or swordsmanship, and a heroic commitment to the physical hardship associated with “authentic” recreation. Reenactment is a flexible concept that has been applied to an enormous range of human activities ranging from solemn religious ritual, to scholarly technique, to casual pastime. Some reenactments also seek to work through traumatic aspects of the past, performing a therapeutic role for communities trying to live with difficult histories.
