Update
Well, things are progressing nicely, and it looks like I might actually be able to get everything done in time. Im about 1/4-1/3 of the way done with my Chiton, about 1/4 done with the linothorax (although the bear with that was the R&D, which is completely finished). My Dory is almost 100% complete (I only need to figure out a way to glue the grip to the shaft so it doesnt shift.. I have my greaves, sandals, and Kopis ordered, and plan to be getting them within the next few weeks (I got my kopis from Brothersmith swords, and if what the infonotice I got says, their delivery rate is astronomically fast... sent monday, delivered Wed).
The helmet that I ordered came in today, and I have to admit, I am not completely happy with it. The main problem, at least that I can see is that it is BIG. Its not too bad around the face (and i can work the brass so the front is a bit more closed to help with the oversize there.) But there is a huge amount of attic space, id say around 2.5 inches. Now I know there was a lot of headroom in ancient Greek Corinthians (especially the early ones) but It just looks and feels too damn big. Im going to play with it a bit and see if I can do anything with it. If that doesnt work, Ill pull the crest off of it and do what I prob should have done in the first place- get one of the Deepeeka models. I actually have a bid in on one of the steel Corinthians on Ebay. The authenticity of steel is about 0, but its good and cheap, and im planning on painting it up, so the base metal really isnt going to matter all that much. Besides, then ill have something to compare the other helmet too so I can see if im really crazy thinking my early model is too big.
On to more fun stuff... One of the things I like to do the most with any impression is to show what the common soldier carried. I am not unique in this aspect, but I do like to have at least a fair amount of personal items to use as demonstration. For ancient greeks, this is a fun challenge, to say the least. Partially because we dont know a hell of a lot about what they carried, and secondly, because what we DO know is carried is not reproduced, or is outrageously expensive.
But there are ways around everything. But fist things first. Historically, I really doubt that the common hoplite would have carried all that much on campagin. Wars were fought in hours, not days, and usually you werent all that far from home. It really wasnt until Alexander that the Greeks did much major long term campaigning (There was some here and there, but nothing of any great signifigance, ESPECIALLY for Sparta, since she couldnt afford to send much of her army away because of the Helots). Therefore, the equipment of the individual hoplite would more than likely be rather sparse.
Logically, it seems to me that there would have been a basic amount of kit carried by the hoplite (or to be more accurate, his Helot, if her was a Saprtiate). It more than likely would have been much- a lot less than was carried in the CW and WWII (although they really didnt carry all that much in WWII). My best guess would be that they would have carried a basic mess kit, including a simple rugged plate, spoon and mug. For Spartans, it would have been the Kothon, others more than likely something like it. Also, they may have ccarried some other basic necessities like flint and steel for starting fires (although interestingly there is an account of a group of Spartans being caught without fire, so it may be better to assume that fire was actually carried with the army on campaign and that was used instead), Also, A small bottle of metal preservative/rust preventitive may have been carried for the sword blades and Dory points. Lamps may have been carried, but I doubt it, as they would be unduly fragile and wouldnt really be needed.
If you were Spartan, you would have also carried a couple of additional items that may be missing from other hoplites kit. Primarily the comb. It has been historically proven that hair was a particular obsession with the Spartans, so much that you even have the famous account of Xerxes spy about the grooming at Thermopylae. This tells me that it was more than likely not an uncommon thing for Spartans to carry a comb, and I would actually be willing to wager that they carried it somewhere on themselves as well. I have only seen one example of an origonal, and it is bone. It would also not be a far streach to think that a small bottle of hair 'stuff' would have been carried as well to dress the hair.
The other singular Spartan item that would have been carried would be the Xuele, which is described as a short sickle like knife that may have had both ritual signifigance, as well as being an every day sort of utility knife (and something that would have been rather important if one needed to rewhittle a dory pole or to do every day camp work.
As for lodging, as far as I know, while the other greeks may have carried tents of some sort, the Spartans made do only with their cloaks. Which makes it easier (and a lot cheaper) to deal with lodging. Although you do run into that problem of rain...
So thats the basics of what more than likely (at least IMHO) would have been carried. Of course, one would need to add or subtract depending on the individual.
So how do you apply this to reenacting? Well, I like lists, so the first thing I did was make a list of what I needed/wanted to have for personal items. It goes pretty much as follows. Items that I want that are not necessarily what a bare bones Hoplite would carry (AKA personal comfort items) have the *
Basic mess gear (spoon, bowl)
Kothon
Xuele
Canteen*
Comb/ hairs stuff
1-2 oil lamps and oil bottle*
Cloak
Flint/Steel*
Doesnt seem like a bad list, eh?
Little did I know how much of a complete pain in the ass some of this stuff was going to be. Like I said, we really dont know what they would have used, and when we do, no one is making it...
But heres what I did...
Basic Mess Gear- It seems to me that this would prob have been a lot like what they had at home, a bowl/plate and a spoon (from what I understand, forks really werent around back then) Now I really dont know what the spoons would have been made of back then, but I can guess that they would have been made of the same type of materials as used by some of the later cultures (i.e. Romans). I dont think its too far a leap to think that it would be either bone, wood, or brass/bronze (People other than Spartans may have also had them made from precious metals- either Gold or Silver...) As for the plate/bowl, I figure either clay, wood, or bronze/silver/gold.
Now for me, a pottery bowl or plate is out of the question. Not for authenticity, but simply because I like to beat the living shit out of my gear, especially the personal items. Now for authenticity, I have gone with some fired items, but I think that a nice authentic (read expensive) plate would be just asking for trouble. So instead I decided to go with either wood or metal. I looked around, but most of the modern stuff looked... well... too modern, or for the metal, it looked like something I would be passing around on Sunday. So in the end I scouted Ebay until I found a nice antique brass plate for a fair price which is nicely hand made and already beat up, so I really cant do much more to it.
As for the spoon, I looked for bone, but couldnt really find anything, so I decided to go with horn. Its not completely authentic, as far as I know, but it is at least possibly feasible, and it is the only option that I ave found asofar. However, I will continue looking for either a brass or wooden spoon that fits the bill.
More to come later.