Authenticity (reenactment)

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In historical reenactment, authenticity (sometimes referred to as the A-factor or simply A) is a measure of how close an item, prop, action, weapon, tactic, or custom is to what would actually have been used or done in the time period being depicted. For example, in most northern European medieval reenactment cotton is an inauthentic material—as opposed to wool or linen—though it would be authentic in more modern periods and events, such as American Civil War reenactment or World War II reenactment. Likewise, pop culture references and talking about modern events or objects (e.g., wrist watches, mobile phones, or contemporary politicians) is inauthentic.

Generally, the ratio of events and groups enforcing strict authenticity to those permitting (limited) in authenticity among the participating reenactors is estimated to be half-and-half, i.e., there are approximately as many groups enforcing historical accuracy as there are permitting a more liberal use of the term "authentic". This does, however, vary from country to country.