The Vicus

Iron Age and Roman Historical Re-Enactment Society

Our society has a large number of museum conservators and archaeologists, as well as teachers and skilled crafts people in our group, which means authenticity and attention to detail is very high. We are passionate about what we do and our displays are the result of much experimental and experiential research.

Living History

We have a large living history component to the group comprising merchants and crafts people, aiming to demonstrate the everyday life of ordinary people. Visitors can watch crafts in action and talk to the experts themselves.

Our living history camp features a range of displays, specific attendees depending, including;

• Roman Merchant
• Roman Writing
• Roman Artist
• Cooking
• Leatherwork
• Carpentry
• Braiding and Weaving
• Bone and Antler Tool Making
• Intaglio Making
• Military Equipment - to compliment our military displays. Visitors can try on the armour and gain an insight into the life of a Roman Soldier.

Military and Arena Displays

We are the only group in the country to stage competitive combat between Britons and Romans with blunted metal weapons. This is not choreographed but operates on a competitive combat system which is about as close as you will get to authentic combat. Our aim in the arena displays is to maintain a more light-hearted/humerous feel and to encourage audience interaction. We can also offer a gladiatorial display accompanied with a religious narrative to help put the action in context.

At an event, we are able to offer a number of different arena presentations. These include:

• Missile Weapons - demonstrating the effectiveness and range of slings, bows, javelins, and pila
• Combat Weapons - narrated small skirmishes between Romans and Britons, illustrating the use and effectiveness of the different armour and weapons. We do not know at the start who will be triumphant, the Romans or the Britons, as the skirmish is unscripted. This introduces an element of competition that the audience can participate in.
• Get Dressed for Battle - see the differences between how Romans and Britons are armed and armoured
• Sharp Weapon Display - showing the cutting power of sharp hand weapons

Our displays, both on and off the arena, can be tailored to the requirements of the event. Please discuss this with the group representative, we can also provide our own PA system if necessary

Gladiators

Gladiatorial combat was a mainstay of ancient Roman entertainment so it is only fitting that the Vicus have our own gladiators.

Our gladiator games can be preceded by noxi fights, where criminals fight each other to death as punishment for their crimes with weapons like spoons or strigils. They make for very entertaining starters to the main event!

The main event are matches between various gladiators, like the retiarius versus the murmillo or the secutor. Our combat is full contact, full excitement and full on audience participation - like the original games, the audience can cheer and jeer for their favourites.

If you are interested in training up for gladiator combat we would be thrilled to hear from you, just drop us a message to the Facebook or Instagram or email us at thevicus@outlook.com for more information

If you want gladiatorial combat for your event, please let us know when you first make contact so we can ensure that our gladiators are available for your event by emailing thevicus@outlook.com.