The Order of the Archive is a loose knit affiliation of people who have one goal: To make their appearance in Medieval Re-enactment look more authentic.

The idea is to lead by example, not to convert followers. We try to do our best to continually make our re-enactment more authentic in nature... from armour, to garb, to our camp. And, to do all this within the rules of our particular organization. The Order is not out to make changes in the system, it is out to improve ourselves. It is based on a series of personal goals, set by each individual member, to be met as they deem fit.

It is not a Tournament Company. There will be no "Order of the Archive Pas" or any such thing. The vast nature of the Order prohibits this from happening. It is not a brotherhood of fighters who meet at wars and fight together. It is merely a common idea. A shared ideal, which is always in transition with each particular member.

There is no common time in history in which we base our re-enactment on. There is no particular group in which the Order is "based". It is open to all who wish to join. Becoming a member of the Order of the Archive is a simple process. Simply decide you want to improve your appearance as a medieval re-enactor. And you are a member. For recognition's sake... so we can see each other... it has been suggested that each member make a banner, or a badge, or a favor... to wear on his person, or fly high in his encampment. It is simply an Or (gold) double horned anvil, under crossed Hammers Or (gold)... on a field of blue.... You can see it in the Armour Archive banner at the top of most of the pages here. If it is worn on a shield, or shield shaped banner, the border is Or as well... Once you have made this for yourself, you are a member of the order.

Consider these things...

• A member of the Order is never perfect in his authenticity. It is a process of continual improvement. While a member may not be perfectly authentic, he/she is always learning more, and on the path to more authenticity. It is a process, rather than a state of being.
  
  
• A member of the Order must never taunt, comment on, or say anything about another person's lack of authenticity. Only comment when asked and then do so in a manner which is not degrading in nature.
  
  
• A member of the Order must never try to bullshit his way out of questions regarding history. If you don't know something, freely admit it, and move on.
  
  
• And, last, but not least... a member of the Order must be up front and honest about the lack of authenticity in his own personal garb/armour/encampment. Remember... we are not perfect... and trying to play off "It could have been like this" is not part of the ideal.
  
  

A couple other thoughts... Keep in mind that this is a totally open and small structured group. There are no dues to keep up with, no entrance fees, no newsletters... There is no founder. I thought long and hard on this one... I wanted to take credit, but this is just an acummulation of thoughts and posts on this web site by many different people, from different organizations. There is no structure. Other than how you personally structure your goal toward authenticity.

Pretty simplistic. I don't think it is too simplistic... I look forward to walking through Pennsic or Ragnorock, and seeing an Archive banner... I'd like to meet you folks in person.