It is a fundamental principle of the Society that the highest standards of accuracy are maintained by all Members wherever possible. To achieve this, the following fundamental principles apply:

 

• All equipment and clothing should meet the minimum standards defined by the Society.

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• The Society reserves the right to insist that equipment and clothing that does not meet these minimum standards is not used whilst representing the Society.

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• The Society will not require disproportionate expenditure by Members to meet these standards.

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• Members’ appearance should be consistent with the Roman era as far as reasonably practical.

 

Equipment  The design and materials used in the manufacture of reproduction equipment (whether owned by the Society or by Members) is subject to the approval of THE RMRS Committee, or a body delegated for this purpose.

 

Before purchasing equipment members are strongly encouraged to consult THE RMRS Committee to ensure any purchases are sufficiently accurate. This will avoid expenditure on equipment that is unsuitable for use when representing the Society.

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Weapons, armour and other equipment need not be hand-forged. Iron, mild steel, bronze or brass are all perfectly acceptable, but stainless steel and aluminium are not.

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It is recognised that new evidence and new research is continuously refining the understanding of what is and is not accurate. It would be unreasonable to require members to cease using expensive equipment simply because research indicates it may no longer be completely accurate, but in such cases all reasonable efforts should be made to modify equipment.

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Dress  Similar considerations apply to dress as to equipment described above. However, given that clothing is typically less expensive than most other items, it will more often be reasonable to expect members to replace items that are found not to be accurate in the light of new evidence.

 

Exposed stitching must be done by hand, but fabric need not be hand-woven or dyed with period dyes. Non-period clothing may be worn beneath period clothing as long as it is not readily visible.

 

Whilst striving for accuracy at all times, dress standards should not cause offence to other members of the Society or members of the public.

 

Personal Appearance  The wearing of jewellery, body piercing, tattoos and other forms of personal adornment should conform to the standards above. Ideally, no modern effects should be worn; the only exception being wedding bands / rings since it can be argued that this practice is contemporary with the Roman period.

 

Personal effects  Any essential personal effects (e.g. money, car keys, medication) should be concealed in a period bag on the person or secured out of sight. The Society does not take any responsibility for personal effects.

 

Tents  Tents should be contemporary with the period portrayed, constructed from leather or canvas over wooden supports. Wooden pegs should be used wherever possible, although metal pegs may be used as required to ensure the tent is secure.

 

Smoking (including e-cigarettes)  Members must comply with an event organisers’ policy and the applicable law concerning smoking when representing the Society. As tobacco and e-cigarettes were not known in the Roman world, members should not smoke in public while in kit and should also avoid smoking inside display tents. Smokers must ensure all smoking materials are safely extinguished.

 

Mobile phones  Mobile phones should not be used while in kit except in an emergency. During displays, mobile phones should ideally be switched off or, where necessary, set to silent mode.

 

Photography  The use of cameras should be avoided while in kit. Wherever possible, photography should take place outside event hours.