HOME	COMITATVS
	Late Roman, Germanic and Romano-British Re-enactment
	Anthony Shelmerdine walked Hadrian's Wall in authentic kit as a 4th century soldier in aid of cancer research: join Comitatus in sponsoring his effort! He marched the 85 miles with great fortitude. His online collection continues: All support welcome! donate here
	Events and Photos	Join Us		Useful Resources
	Germanic/Migration Period	Late Roman Army		Research & Reconstruction
	Living History	Roman Cavalry		Fabrica: craft products for sale
Comitatus is Britain's leading Late Roman re-enactment group helping to set a new standard in historical authenticity. Putting on events across the North and down into the Midlands, the group is able to bring to an event a complete living history presentation demonstrating the life and skills of the Late Roman army, including infantry, cavalry, archery, artillery and everyday life. Comitatus members present full living history interpretations from within an authentic tented encampment based on the craft skills of the legionaries and their families. Rather than 'battle re-enactment', our field displays show authentic training based on manuals of the period, complete with Latin drill, missile competition, sharp weapons demonstration, combat sparring and, whenever possible, an opportunity for young members of the public to experience things first-hand. Our members are dedicated enthusiasts who enjoy what they do and have a reputation for passing on this passion to the public! Contact us by email to arrange to hire the group for an event.
			Members of the public frequently join us as members after seeing the displays, we are open to new recruits! Please click HERE to find out how easy it is, and what an enjoyable past-time Roman re-enactment can be! The group is always expanding and taking on new and exciting aspects of Roman re-enactment. Comitatus has researched and developed its own Late Roman cavalry squadron, representing the Late Roman unit known as the Taifali. The public love the beautiful horses, the thunder of hooves and the crack of sharp javelins punching through the targets. Members can feel what it is really like to ride down an enemy on foot, or be ridden down! The full cavalry display is spectacular and involves all of the cavalry weapons in a round of exciting competitions, demonstrating the power of specially selected and trained horses and the skills and tactics of both riders and infantry! We have our own metal frame bolt-shooting ballista; designed with the help of our own research and with power enough to punch fist sized holes through plywood targets at 90m!
Comitatus is not a for-profit business but a strong friendly society, where all are welcomed and families encouraged. After the public has gone we reinforce those values by eating and drinking together around the campfires. We have plenty of competition and armed conflict within the arena, but that's not all we do. Our living history displays ensure that there is something for everyone to do in Comitatus. The range of skills and knowledge we can offer is amazing and we can offer time-tabled talks and tours to bring the best out of our living history exhibit. We have traders, armourers, weavers, basket-makers, dyers, woodworkers, net-makers, bakers, surgeons, bone-workers, potters and cooks! Our campsites really are the bustling little communities they appear to be!
			We aim to both educate and entertain. Children are encouraged to participate in the Roman arena displays, and to feel, touch, smell, carry and generally get a good hands-on experience within the living history campsite. We explain who we are and what we are attempting to portray and bring them a little closer to the reality of ancient life. We have welcomed opportunities to work with Time Team and various small Trusts and organisations dedicated to opening up history to a wider audience. If you have a project, get in touch.
Finally, we wish to make a genuine contribution to knowledge of the period. Inspired by reconstruction archaeology, we run experiments, test authentic replicas, march and camp in authentic kit and realistic conditions in order to better understand the past and to bring it to life for ourselves and others. Testing equipment can highlight the different expectations of the period as well as informing the interpretation of archaeological and historical evidence. Members also participate in archaeological and living history conferences and are sometimes available to give talks and small scale displays at suitable events. The Late Roman period is fairly unfamiliar to many members of the public. Our aim is to change that... Click HERE to find out more about Comitatus.
The views of individual members expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect the view of the group as a whole. Photos/Images: These are normally copyright of an individual Comitatus member. Use of an image for educational or research purposes will be happily granted, if permission is sought first, and we can secure an acknowledgement, and higher resolution images can often be arranged for publication or display! Please e-mail first.