Arts & Sciences, or A&S, are all the crafts, skills, and technologies practiced in the time period and cultures that our game covers. The various medieval arts and sciences are a huge part of what we do, notably in the clothes we wear (garb), the tools we use and the food we eat at feasts.
A&S covers all non-martial aspects of SCA activities. If you are interested in clothing, food and drink, calligraphy, illumination, music and dance, heraldry, handcrafts, story-telling and poetry, gardening, or any other non-martial aspect of medieval life, then you are into A&S.
The aim is to learn about history by recreating it. We study period craft forms, learn the techniques used in the middle ages and attempt to recreate them. Accuracy in our research is important and we source a range of documentary evidence, including manuscripts, archaeological finds, paintings and sculptures, as well as stories told by the people that lived in those times. However, as it is the 21st century, our recreation is to the best of our individual abilities. No one needs to be an expert in any form of craft to make an attempt to recreate it.
There are some wonderful resources available – Garb / Cooking & Feasting / Calligraphy Illumination & Heraldry / Research & Resources