Combat training or duels can also be encountered even when larger combat demonstrations are not present. More common are craft and cooking demonstrations, song and leisure activities, and lectures. Occasionally, storytelling or acting sketches take place to involve or explain the everyday life or military activity to the viewing public. This often includes both military and civilian impressions. Such events do not necessarily include a mock battle but aim at portraying the life, and more importantly the lifestyle, of people of the period. While the pros latter routinely use museum professionals and trained interpreters to help convey the story of history to the public, some museums and historic sites employ living history groups with high standards of authenticity for the same role at special events. The line between amateur and professional presentations at living history museums can be blurred, same as the border to live action role-playing games. Historical presentation includes a continuum from well-researched attempts to recreate a known historical event for educational purposes, through representations with theatrical elements, to competitive events for purposes of entertainment.

The players are less confined in their actions, but often have to stay at a certain place or building. The term 'living history' describes the performance of bringing history to life for the general public in a rather freewheeling manner. the role of the garment is of interest till today. He also asked to have any visitors re-dressed in costumes and described rituals to signify 'in-game' and 'out-game' status to enhance the immersion experience. List, himself a right-wing neopagan, asked his staff of landlords, waiters and rangers to be dressed in historical gear. Īn early example of the spiritual and futuristic side of living history can be found in Guido von List's book Der Wiederaufbau von Carnuntum (1900), which suggested rebuilding the Roman Carnuntum military camp in Vienna's neighborhood as a sort of amusement park (compare Westworld). It is more about an immersion of players in a certain era, to catch, in the sense of Walter Benjamin the 'spiritual message expressed in every monument's and every site's own 'trace' and 'aura'', even in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Living history's approach to gain authenticity is less about replaying a certain event according to a planned script as in other reenactment fields. The Guédelon Castle in France is a castle currently being built using only medieval construction techniques, tools, costumes and local materials.

Living history hillary clinton