Reenactors don't tend to get taken very seriously by professional historians, but those of us portraying ancients have a unique angle. By donning accurate panoplies and testing weapons and tactics which would otherwise exist only in academic theory, we are increasingly recognized by open-minded scholars as having unique and important perspectives on many fundamental yet uncertain aspects of warfare.
Armourer Jeff Wasson started out as just such a reenactor himself. I met him at the very first outing for my hoplite group. Impressed with the tube-and-yoke corslets I’d made for us, he arranged for me to visit his workshop. I was hooked from the moment I walked in. I’d never done metalworking before, but immediately offered my services as an apprentice. After several months of learning to help make medieval armour, Jeff asked if I wanted to try making something for myself. Well, now that you mention it…
Among the top pieces of The Metropolitan Museum
