New Byzantine Roman Micronation

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New Byzantine Roman Micronation

Postby Quintus Servilius Priscus on Mon Feb 15, 2010 7:33 am

... Cassius of NR fame has set-up a (what he calls an experiment) new micronation (he has learned his lesson about mistakes made with NR he says). It is based on the Eastern Roman Empire (i.e. Byzantine Empire). It's called Byzantium Novum. I have decided to get in on the ground floor of his "experiment" by joining it. Here is the link to it to look at if you want: http://www.byzantiumnovum.org/

Priscus Psellos (my Byzantine name)

PS: If wanted for the fun of it here is a Byzantine Name Generator: http://www.wjohnson.freeuk.com/names/byzantine.htm
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Shyeah, right.

Postby Aldus Marius on Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:36 am

Pfft...again with the micronation bit. "A legitimate heir to the Byzantine Empire", on nothing but his say-so? Shyeah, right.

Byzantium was Greek and Christian, two things Cassius is not and would not want to be. Remember, he's the founder of the Julian Society, the Religio Romana revivalist movement that gave rise to Nova Roma. I suppose he could be portraying one of the lone non-Christian holdouts, but that's not Byzantium. Doesn't sound to me like he's learned a thing, except maybe who not to have in on the foundation. But any "legitimate heir" is going to have to arise within the former territories of the old Empire--not on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States; and if-slash-when it does, it will not appreciate Cassius' little usurpation of their Heritage any more than the neo-Roman world appreciates NR declaring itself their sovereign authority and measuring-stick.

Why can't the man's ambitions be more modest? And you, Prisce, are enabling him. Triarius does Greek community much better; see Agrigentum on Mons Aventinus. Plus the Latin's still awful. And we all know something hasn't officially happened until there's a song about it on Doctor Demento.
>({|;-]
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Byzantium Novum

Postby Marcus Lupinius Paulus on Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:28 am

Salvete Omnes,

I looked at the website this evening, and wonder if this new project of Cassius will not be a better environment than his previous creation. For one thing, Christian citizens may be more at home here than in NR. I did have to smile at what I call the "Cassian Protection Clause": No senator or magistrate can be removed for inactivity!

The rest of their laws are not formulated yet...so why doesn't Cassius just make himself emperor, and appoint as senators and magistrates anyone he thinks will be of practical help in moving this project forward? As long as he is the one who owns the website and the forum lists, he IS for all intents and purposes emperor. No need to politiking and yearly elections.

There is another question I have that I would like to see our opinons on. We have all been micronationalists at some point, and some of us still are. What is, or what was the attraction of this for you? Looking back, I think a large part of it for me was having a symbolic "alternative world". Yes, we all treated it as something quite real and not a RPG, even though that is in effect what it was. Or was it the desire to feel a sense of power and authority that none of have in the everyday world?

But back to BN...it will, of course, not go anywhere near the goals Cassius has set out for it, and will at best be an online club with the possibility of providing some live in-person social events. Still, this is not a reason to not join it, as long as you are not actively opposing the more unrealistic goals. How many citizens does it have now Priscus?

Best of luck to Cassius.

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Re: Byzantium Novum

Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:18 pm

Long time no see y'all.

Marcus Lupinius Paulus wrote:There is another question I have that I would like to see our opinons on. We have all been micronationalists at some point, and some of us still are. What is, or what was the attraction of this for you? Looking back, I think a large part of it for me was having a symbolic "alternative world". Yes, we all treated it as something quite real and not a RPG, even though that is in effect what it was. Or was it the desire to feel a sense of power and authority that none of have in the everyday world?


I think this kind of sums it up, though a part of it was also idealism that it would be possible to build a community based on a number of values that seemed to have lost some significance in modern times (religious tolerance, cosmopolitism, pragmatism, etc). However, part of it was definitely also me being all Sturm und Drang in my late teens. I'm in my late twenties right now, and the idea of a micronation seems prepostrous to me, unless it would be led by a group of extremely level-headed people with a lot of money. I have no idea how rich Cassius is, but given his track record, i would be disinclined to say he is level-headed. He's an experienced amateur at best.

Vale optime,
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Re: New Byzantine Roman Micronation

Postby Quintus Servilius Priscus on Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:49 pm

As of today we have 37 members (including Flavius Vedius Germanicus, the other co-founder of NR) and 4 Senators. Until we have the Magistrates Offices figured out we plan to appoint a "Steward" (or as I'm trying to get a single Curator instead) to be the temporary head of the organization.

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Re: New Byzantine Roman Micronation

Postby Aldus Marius on Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:51 pm

Oh, gag! Vedius...?? Old "I don't know what I really believe but I believe it to its extreme"? --I guess Cassius *hasn't* learned who not to have in on the founding. Feh...the single neuron that held my curiosity about Byzantium Novum has just shorted out.

Can you tell I'm no longer keen on the whole micronation concept?

Can you blame me?
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A More Constructive Response

Postby Aldus Marius on Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:10 am

Salvete iterum, amici Romani,

> ([Cassius] has learned his lesson about mistakes made with NR he says).


Putting this out there where Cassius and Vedius can see it:

1) Start with the community, not the governing structure. Collegia/Sodalitates; discussion and revival of arts, crafts, trades, language, literature...in short, lifeways. Reflections on history, both ancient and recent, the better to mine the gold from those experiences and avoid the mistakes. If you're going to make mistakes, at least let them be new and interesting ones.

2) Do not claim to be the "legitimate heir" to anything. If the members regard themselves as Byzantine, want to live like 21st-century Byzantines, and wish to encourage and mentor each other in their Byzanti-humanity, awesome. But call it what it is: a cultural-interest or even cultural-revivalist group. Not a "sovereign" anything.

This could be modelled less like a "nation" and more like an expatriate ethnic community. In California alone I met Native Hawai'ians, Armenians, Mayans, Assyrians (yes!) and a number of other peoples whom the average Joe thinks belong to the past. Persians who do not regard themselves as Iranians. Alexandrian (Egyptian) Greeks. The whole Celtic revival at its best. Romans (us) who are not Catholics or even Italians. Again, the emphasis should be cultural rather than political. Nova Roma is technically a political simulation first and foremost, however much the people who run it want to think of it as something with a broader band in the spectrum of the humanities.

3) While we're discussing politics, don't let the group be pinned to any specific era or form of government. Otherwise you'll miss getting the best of all eras.

4) Lose the anti-Muslim slant.

The Arabs, not the monks, are the main reason we even have as much of ancient literature and science as we do. They rediscovered it as they rolled over Greece, Roman Africa, southern Europe; because they were not Christians, they didn't destroy anything just because they didn't think it was "godly" enough. They read the philosophy, struggled with it, and finally assimilated it into their faith and worldview. They were the first people who, never having lived in the Greco-Roman world, still found it worthy of emulation and made it part of themselves. Not like the Western Church at all. We owe them.

5) Per deos immortales, know when it's time to bail out. You do not get extra points for watching the thing go all the way down the crapper. Bolt when you hear the flush, OK? >({|8-p


In amicitia et fide,
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