Sunday, September 25th

AP PHOTOS: Roman era brought to life at Romanian festival

By VADIM GHIRDA and ANDREEA ALEXANDRU Associated Press

Participants in the Romula Fest reenact Roman Empire era gladiator fights in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

RESCA, Romania (AP) - The clatter of shields and battle cries filled the misty air as warriors lifted their swords. Nearby, gladiators fought each other for their lives.

A festival that featured historic reenactments brought the ancient Roman era back to life this month near a sleepy village in southern Romania, evoking a time when the area was part of the easternmost Dacian provinces of the Roman Empire.

In a field close to the village of Resca, local residents watched the costumed reenactors with amusement, fascination and pride. Many identify with the ancient tribes that raided the outer borders of the Roman Empire, triggering what became known as Emperor Trajan's Dacian Wars.

Participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event clash during a battle in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

"I come here because this is what flows through my veins, the Dacian blood!" said Edi Schneider, a retired coal miner-turned sculptor who describes himself as a "free Dacian."

The area around Resca remains strategically important. These days, it hosts a U.S. missile defense site as the war rages in neighboring Ukraine.

For the festival organizers, the main purpose of the annual gathering is to promote local cultural heritage and to educate people about historical facts. Experts see an over-glorification of the Dacians as freedom fighters and heroes, which has fueled nationalism among ordinary Romanians.

A participant in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event, wearing a Roman legion uniform and a bear fur stands in the village of Resca, Romania, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Sticking to the facts meant showing that the Romans won the two Dacian wars. This came as a disappointment to many of the onlookers who cheered for the Dacians throughout the reenacted epic clashes between the ancient enemies.

Catalin Draghici, a historian and coordinator of Historia Renascita, a group that organizes reenactments from pre-Roman and Roman times in Romania, described the festival near Resca as a "practical history lesson."

Participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event clash during a battle in the village of Resca, Romania, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

The festival's organizers were faithful to other details, including the color and shapes of the Roman shields, weapons and helmets. The participants depicting the Dacian tribes covered themselves in animal furs as they gathered around fires.

The reenactors didn't hold back in fulfilling their roles. One man fell into a small river while fighting - and seemed to enjoy it. For Schneider, a trip to the past was a good way also to release the stress of modern living.

"It's beautiful," he said. "You disconnect from everything that happens in the real world, in the urban jungle."

Participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event clash during a battle in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event clash during a battle in the village of Resca, Romania, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Police officers watch reenactments of Roman Empire era gladiator fights standing next to a participant dressed as a Roman soldier in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Participants in the Romula Fest reenact Roman Empire era gladiator fights in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Participants in the Romula Fest event reenact Roman Empire era gladiator fights in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A child throws a spear during an ancient sports competition during the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event, depicting Dacian tribes, charge during a battle in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event, depicting Roman soldiers prepare for battle in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A participant in the Romula Fest reenacts a Roman Empire era gladiator fight in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A participant in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event throws a log in an ancient sports competition in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A man and child, participants in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event fight with wooden swords in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A participant in the Romula Fest historic reenactment event places a mask on a spear in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A man throws a spear during an ancient sports competition during the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A man wearing a Roman soldier outfit walks after falling into a river during a battle at the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Men wearing Roman soldier outfits walk during a battle at the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Men wearing Roman soldiers outfits destroy a wooden structure during the Romula Fest historic reenactment event in the village of Resca, Romania, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Men wearing Roman soldiers outfits walk past the public during the Romula Fest historic reenactment event in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A man wearing a Roman soldier outfit is thrown into a river during a battle at the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A woman taking part in the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival rests on a hillside, backdropped by replicas of Dacian and Roman camps, set up in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Children engage in a sword fight, backdropped by a campfire, during the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A couple sits by a campfire, during the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

People walk by a stage, set up for the Romula Fest historic reenactment festival in the village of Resca, Romania, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Members of historic NGOs and volunteers gathered in a field outside a southern Romanian village, once part of the Romula Malva, Roman Empire era city, aiming to raise awareness for history through realistic reenactments of battles between Roman legions and local Dacian tribes.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)