Nova Roma

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Nova Roma

Postby Q Valerius on Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:22 pm

Salvete amici,

I have joined Nova Roma under the name Quintus Valerius Poplicola, assuming a real cognomen (even though Q. Poplicola isn't attested as far as I know). Therefore I abandon the old agnomen Scerio.

Valete optime.
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Postby Q Valerius on Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:46 am

Actually, I'm unsure if I should adopt Poplicola or Cato (both are cognomina of the gens Valeria). This is a huge life choice. Thoughts or opinions?
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Invicta Catonis...?

Postby Aldus Marius on Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:22 pm

Salve, mi Valeri, however cognominated...!

'Cato' might land you in trouble in some quarters. Not that a Roman was ever afraid of being landed in trouble! But the name has a history, and carries with it certain connotations that might become baggage for a new civis looking to make his own space. Not everyone will know that the Cato was of gens Porcia, not gens Valeria; but almost everyone will picture you muttering "Carthage Must Be Destroyed!"...not a popular sentiment in this day of the manifest failure of "Stay the Course".

'Poplicola' (or its easier-to-pronounce variant, 'Publicola'), otoh, could be anybody and anything. Perhaps you might reject it for that reason. I know there was a famous Publicola, maybe a number of them; you might want a name that stands out from the crowd like 'Cato' does. But I like fresh starts, when I'm starting anything at all. You can make of yourself anything you like with a neutral-ish cognomen. People will not enter into a relationship with you under any preconceived notions.

Mea sententia...but I'm just a pleb. >({|;-)

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Postby Horatius Piscinus on Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:30 am

Salve Quinte Valeri

The agnomen Cato will not make you stand out from the crowd in Nova Roma. OTOH not only would a Valerius Publicola stand out from other names used in Nova Roma, it is an exceptionally honorable name, as I am sure you must be aware, with its own political connotations as a defender of the rights of the Roman people.

Vale optime

M Horatius Piscinus,
Curator, bis consularus SVR bis Rector,
augur, and former Pontifex Maximus

or in Nova Roma

M Moravius Piscinus Horatianus
Senator, bis Tribunus Plebis,
Flamen Carmentalis, and former flamen Cerealis
M Horatius Piscinus

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Postby Q Valerius on Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:38 pm

Accepted. I shall stay with my chosen cognomen. Either way, it's a win-win situation.

Gratias vobis, amici.
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Postby Gaius Iulius Tabernarius on Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:02 pm

hmm cato, I wouldn't mind getting that as a honorary title.

not that I condone the actual destruction of Carthage mind you, but I admire his tactics, I sometimes end my discussions with the phrase

Ceterum censeo meus tractus esse delendam!

and

Ceterum censeo thema fervens esse delendam

I love using the phrase, I only hope my Latin isn't as bad as I think it is...

I am pleased that my first two names are identical to my hero Caesar.

Controversial I know but I honestly don't think Caesar was the power hungry tyrant that many people make him out to be, he after all was never named rex.
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Caesar

Postby Valerius Claudius Iohanes on Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:10 pm

Salvete, omnes -

Tangential, here, but:

Caesar is the most interesting of all the statesmen/tyrants I have wondered on. When I first read his Bella Gallica, in English then, I was bathing myself in his successes, a private euphoria for a kid who was a nothing. Later, in the years when I found myself at odds with all the hot-shots and hyper-focused over-achievers in the world, I thought of Caesar as a very devil, the man who, in fighting a civil war, built a mole of dead Romans in order to come to grips with the virtuous Cato the Younger.

But lately, I find him just -- well -- a creature of consummate talent. Nigh divine, alright. He was a charmer, a brilliant charmer, and in so many ways inclined to avoid bloodshed (provided he got his way). He was incredible general, an incredible leader, an incredible demagogue, an incredible calculator; tireless, suave, ruthless, humane....

And then, in view of the history of the Empire on down to Emperor Heraclius ca. 700 AD, I always wonder -- What if he HAD got his campaign going in the East, as he had had it planned when he was cut down? Could he have overwhelmed the Persian empire, BEEN the other Alexander?

Hm. :? :o :) Ut valeatis.
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Caesar

Postby Gaius Iulius Tabernarius on Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:34 am

Absolutely undeniably yes, I am certain and perhaps more.

The Persian army was historically quite effective against Rome, thanks to its horse archer advantage, however any reasonable general will simply recruits spearmen foot archers and house archers of his own to counter it.

In the course of history every time Rome made a concerted effort to push into Parthia and latter Sassania they where successful, but some inexplicable event forced them to sue for peace.

For Caesar he never got started, for Trajan the Jews revolted and he became ill, for Julian he was assassinated by Christians who weren't too pleased with his pro pagan initiatives or so I have heard.

Julius Caesar as depicted (by himself) in the Gallic and civil wars seams in many ways a better general than even Alexander, he time and time again manages to do the one thing Alexander couldn't, convince his troops to fight when they refused or revolted.

He was also more of a politician than Alexander, but I have always thought Alexander would have been a better administrator than most people give him credit for, he was after all a student of Aristotle.

All I can say is that; I may find fault with some of the things Caesar did, but of the man himself I am not ashamed to express ungrudging admiration.
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Statement and Question?

Postby M.Apollonius Silvanus on Sat Mar 29, 2008 12:05 am

Salvete Omnes,

Im an member of NR and have been since 2002,I have not been a regular on there though. But it would be nice if they could go back to the way the website use to be, it was easier to navigate and use. I still havent figured out how to change my yahoo messenger id on there and the photo submit address doesnt work.

The question is why do they make you choose gens names that you are in no way connected to? I dont have anything against it for web use but it just seems weird in a way. In real life and even online I would prefer to adopt a Latinised version of my legal name if possible, if not then finding one that is similar or one that I like would be okay.

My name would probably be something like- Dominic Consularius Silvanus, if I were to Latinize it. My first name is similar to Dominic(if I went with the Latin that is similar to Jeremiah in meaning), my surname is similar to Consularis or "someone who sits on a council" and my middle name, the name I go by is Keith is similar to the Latin Silvanus..

Valete!
Silvanus
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Connections

Postby Aldus Marius on Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:26 am

Salve, mi Silvane!

Most Latinisations of modern names I've seen are horrible, and the ones in Nova Roma are an atrocity on a par with Abu Ghraib.

Ideally, once someone has puttered around in ancient history and culture, he or she would find a gens or an individual with whom s/he felt some connection, and then select a name accordingly. Nomen: a gens they like; praenomen: any attested one that suits the applicant; cognomen: whatever their nickname would be if they could pick one, translated. I feel it's more, rather than less, personal that way; your modern name was foisted upon you at birth, but a Roman name (and identity) is something you craft for yourself.

Until a person actually does identify with a Roman gens, it's probably better not to apply for citizenship in Nova Roma. I speak from excruciating experience: Names are a bitch to change over there. In the Societas it's no trouble at all; you PM me, I tweak it, you let your pals on the Board know what the new one is so they know it's still you. So this is a pretty good place to experiment with names until you find that special One, the one that means *you*, your fine Roman self. Don't feel bad if it takes a few tries. Mine did not reach its final form for thirteen years!

There were maybe a billion Romans total in all of ancient history, not all of them famous, but all deserving to be remembered. Soldiers, craftsmen, farmers, laborers, businessmen and -women; often we don't know anything about them but their name on a funerary inscription, maybe a little about what they did, and that someone loved or respected them. Surely there's a story out there that strikes a chord?

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Hmmm.

Postby Valerius Claudius Iohanes on Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:11 pm

Salve, omnes - This is off topic, but

Aldus Marius wrote:often we don't know anything about them but their name on a funerary inscription, maybe a little about what they did, and that someone loved or respected them. Surely there's a story out there that strikes a chord?

You know, that could be a subject for a book (which has probably already been written). One could study records of uncelebrated Romans, epitaphs, memorials, whatever; give in exposition the original in both Latin and in translation, but then offer speculatiions as to the author, the remembered, their situation -- minor historical essays inspired by whatever poignant or commanding note has come down to us.

Has this been done, to anyone's knowledge?

Valete.
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Roman Vignettes

Postby Aldus Marius on Sun Mar 30, 2008 4:54 am

Salvete omnes!

An author named Olivia Coolidge came out with a couple of books of this nature in the late 60's; Roman People tells fiction stories of Romans all across the social spectrum (it is from one of them that I learned a starling could be taught to speak as well as a parrot; a poor man made a little money once he'd taught his bird to say "Ave Caesar!"); and Caesar's Gallic Wars narrates those events from the perspective of his troops.

Jack Lindsay collected inscriptions from Pompeii and speculated on the lives of the people mentioned in them. His book is called The Writing on the Wall: An Account of Pompeii in its Last Days, and it came out in 1960.

I have another anthology of inscriptions, these ones of The Romans in Britain, collected by A.R. Burn in 1932. (My copy was printed in 1969.) No stories here, but many can be inferred. Quite a few of the honorees showed up as "gamemaster" characters in my roleplaying games!

But as to a thing like Curator Iohannes has described, I have not seen anything quite like it. It does remind me of an idea I'd once had for a project. Is anyone familiar with the POW bracelets worn by some folks in the US? Each one is inscribed with the name of a missing soldier, and when you put yours on it shows that someone, somewhere, is still thinking about or remembering that servicemember.

I think it'd be a neat idea to do something like that for the ordinary Romans mentioned in inscriptions. The bracelets (or pendants, or armlets, or...) could be made of some durable 'period' material, copper or bronze perhaps. Each would carry the name of a Roman citizen. It'd come in a nice-ish box with a little card or tag quoting, then translating, the inscription. Perhaps the inscription could also be engraved on the inside of the bracelet itself, if it were short enough. If we could find someone to produce these, I've got enough just-plain-Romans in my collection to get the project off to a fine start...

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Re: Connections

Postby Gaius Iulius Tabernarius on Sun Mar 30, 2008 5:24 am

Aldus Marius wrote:Salve, mi Silvane!

Until a person actually does identify with a Roman gens, it's probably better not to apply for citizenship in Nova Roma. I speak from excruciating experience: Names are a bitch to change over there. In the Societas it's no trouble at all; you PM me, I tweak it, you let your pals on the Board know what the new one is so they know it's still you. So this is a pretty good place to experiment with names until you find that special One, the one that means *you*, your fine Roman self. Don't feel bad if it takes a few tries. Mine did not reach its final form for thirteen years!

In amicitia et fide,


Well they did right by me, (I guess I got lucky.)
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Re: Connections

Postby M.Apollonius Silvanus on Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:51 pm

Salve, mi Mari,

I know what you mean by choosing a name, I had another name when I first joined NR, But droped out of NR for a few yrs then rejoined and officially changing my name on there to what it is now. Though I was going to change it to Tiberius Octavius Silvanus, but they wouldnt let me since I had already chosen this name. O well I am fine with it online,its not like its my legal name or anything lol. Not sure if I will ever feel close or a connection to any of the names,unless I were able to actually associate with a gens in real life. Gens Apollonii is fine, since I have somewhat of a drawing to the god Apollo but in real life it would be great to have my own Latin name lol.

Vale,
Silvanus



Aldus Marius wrote:Salve, mi Silvane!

Most Latinisations of modern names I've seen are horrible, and the ones in Nova Roma are an atrocity on a par with Abu Ghraib.

Ideally, once someone has puttered around in ancient history and culture, he or she would find a gens or an individual with whom s/he felt some connection, and then select a name accordingly. Nomen: a gens they like; praenomen: any attested one that suits the applicant; cognomen: whatever their nickname would be if they could pick one, translated. I feel it's more, rather than less, personal that way; your modern name was foisted upon you at birth, but a Roman name (and identity) is something you craft for yourself.

Until a person actually does identify with a Roman gens, it's probably better not to apply for citizenship in Nova Roma. I speak from excruciating experience: Names are a bitch to change over there. In the Societas it's no trouble at all; you PM me, I tweak it, you let your pals on the Board know what the new one is so they know it's still you. So this is a pretty good place to experiment with names until you find that special One, the one that means *you*, your fine Roman self. Don't feel bad if it takes a few tries. Mine did not reach its final form for thirteen years!

There were maybe a billion Romans total in all of ancient history, not all of them famous, but all deserving to be remembered. Soldiers, craftsmen, farmers, laborers, businessmen and -women; often we don't know anything about them but their name on a funerary inscription, maybe a little about what they did, and that someone loved or respected them. Surely there's a story out there that strikes a chord?

In amicitia et fide,
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