Introduction - What am I doing here?

Good evening!

Xerxes' Million Fighting Men is my personal project to recruit more ancient Persian empire reenactors to take part in the upcoming 2,500th anniversary commemorations of the Graeco-Persian Wars of 490-479 BC.

If you're coming from any of the groups who took part in, or just happened to be a spectator at, Marathon 2011, you may know me as the Persian redshirt (specifically, the one in the actual red shirt) running like a madman from the charging hoplites on the beach.  You'll also recall that we had about ten to fifteen imperial troops there, even after event leaders asked a few participants to switch sides, and about fifty Athenians and Plataians.  It's no stain on the imperial impressions we did have to observe that there's something odd about a mighty phalanx falling back under a shower of half a dozen arrows.  Thus, this project.

Personally, I feel no one should have to sacrifice doing the impression they want because of circumstances.  I'm looking for people who want to reenact primarily as Persians and other members of the far-flung empire.  Although this blog will focus mainly on the Persians, Medes and other Iranian peoples, there's room in the world of Achaemenid reenactment whether you want to be an Assyrian from Biblical times, a Kushite, a Skythian, a Phoenician, or an Indian from the days of Siddhartha Gautama.

XMFM aims to function both as a local reenactment group in the southeastern PA area, as a knowledge pool, and (I hope most importantly) a network to put you in contact with reenactment groups in your corner of the world.

There are several reasons for this.  One is that it's best to show your costume, gear and fighting techniques to others in person if possible to get the most informed advice on how to improve your impression.  The other is travel.  You'll have an easier and much more enjoyable visit to Greece if you go with friends.  Furthermore, in my experience, Graeco-centric groups (which make up the bulk of pre-Roman Empire impressions) are quite pleased to add Persians to their numbers.

To these ends, I'll be adding links to active groups in the upcoming weeks.  You'll also find a quick rundown on the essential historical knowledge, costuming, arms and equipment.  Barring emergencies and drunken benders, I plan on updating and filling out these contents at least once a week, so if you're interested, tune in regularly.

Thanks for listening and thank you for a lovely supper.