Living history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the term as used among historical reenactors. For the autobiography of Hillary Clinton, see Living History.
Living history is a side of historical reenactment which aims to accurately depict the life of normal people in a domestic setting, for the given period. It is often used to distinguish from combat reenactment, which is the other main focus of many reenactment groups.
This may be confined to wearing period dress and perhaps explaining relevant historical information, either in role or out of character, but more usually involves demonstrating everyday activities such as cooking, gaming or, particularly, skills and crafts.
Depending on the time portrayed, these might include such crafts as spinning, sewing, loom, tablet or tapestry weaving, dyeing, basketry, ropemaking, leatherworking or cobbling, metal, stone or glass working and a range of woodworking such as turning.
Reenactment groups often organise such displays in an encampment which is sometimes referred to as a Living History Exhibit.
'Living History' may also be used to describe a method of history teaching whereby students try their hand at such activities and experience some aspects of period lifestyle guided by historical interpreters, albeit with less scrupulous standards of authenticity.
Note that use of accurate replicas may contribute clues to understanding historical life, but that true Experimental archaeology technically demands a rigorous scientific approach.
- See also: Living museum and Experimental archaeology
