Nova Britannia General Meeting: Decembris MMDCCLXXVII

Monday, December 1st, MMDCCLXXVIII, 6:00 p.m. - 7:21 p.m.
Participants: Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia
Numerius Octavius Astronomus
Aulus Iulius Paterculus
    Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia and I were the first to join the meeting. We were both hopeful that others would join to help work out the details of the Saturnalia gathering on December 20th, but we started hammering out those details we could while it was just the two of us. I confirmed those transportation arrangements with which I was involved, and we each spoke about what we would be contributing towards the potluck. It was estimated that arrival would be 10 a.m. the morning of December 20th.
    Sibylla also noted that Cassius had reserved rooms for MithraCon, which would take place on April 24th, 25th, & 26th. We discussed who might be attending.
    We discussed Roman roads, and Sibylla shared that the gauge on most modern railways, with the odd exception of those in Russia, were based on the spacing of grooves for wagons on Roman roads. This lead into a brief discussion of railway travel. We also discussed other aspects of Roman transportation and compared with what we knew of other contemporary societies (which was not very detailed knowledge for either of us).
    I reported that another Nova Roman, Cn. Aurelius Carolus, had shared plans in the Forum Domitium to build a hydraulus. I suggested that we invite Cn. Aurelius to present the results to us once the project was farther along, knowing that we had multiple fans of the organ in our province, and Sibylla was enthusiastic about the idea.
    Soon after, N. Octavius Astronomus joined the call. Astronomus told us about his schedule and conflicts which could potentially prevent him from attending Saturnalia in-person, though he wanted to if it was possible. If not, he suggested incorporating an hour-long Zoom call into the meeting for remote attendance.
    Astronomus shared a book on science in antiquity which he thought he might have acquired during MithraCon. There were chapters on science in a number of ancient civilizations. We discussed the fact that the libri fulgurales divided the sky into 16 sections rather than the more usual 12, and whether this might have some relation to the origins of the Etruscans.
    Astronomus shared a video on ancient timekeeping from Luke Ranieri's Polymathy channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSV0Amt0GC8).
    Astronomus said he would reach out to Marcus Claudius Pupienus Maximus and Tyler to see whether they would be coming down to Connecticut for Saturnalia. Astronomus reported that Pupienus had been occupied with publishing his book on Roman numismatics and related history. He also said that Tyler had been making a study of ancient philosophy. Sibylla said she would reach out to M. Cassius Julianus to clarify whether he was coming down for Saturnalia also and asked me to send an email to the Main List to invite Novi Romani from further afield.
    Astronomus stated that he would be heading back to Toronto next summer and would be meeting with Corvus again, and possibly other Nova Romans in Canada. We discussed whether he could get a message to Canada's provincial forum letting the local citizens know he would be interested in meeting them.
    We discussed the future remote meetings for the month: a Latin meeting on December 15th, which we decided should probably begin with 10 minutes or so in English to finish our planning for the 20th, and the 29th, which might be a good time for someone to give a presentation.

Book Review: Medicus by Ruth Downie

     This book had been recommended to me multiple times by different people, so I was exited to finally sit down and read it. It did not disappoint.

     To summarize briefly, the main character is a Roman military doctor (thus "Medicus" is his job title as well as the title of the book) recently stationed in Britain, who discovers that a few recent deaths were not accidental and is pulled into solving the mystery.

    The strength of the novel is in its slow characterization. Most of the characters start out fairly opaque, and often somewhat unsympathetic, but gradually we learn more of their motives and histories, which explains their behavior.

    There is definitely historical flavour to the setting and characters, with no obvious anachronisms, but there were a few occasions, when I found myself wondering things like, "Did the Romans really have Civilian Liaison Officers?" Thoughtfully, the authoress disentangles known fact from supposition in an afterword, admitting to having filled in a few blanks about the Roman military based on what seemed plausible to her. While it's hard to imagine she got every detail correct when making these few leaps into speculation, the details which have been added in this way have clearly been chosen to add to the story and for the most part don't break immersion.

    Since it is a mystery, it would be unfair to give too many details about the way the plot unfolds. However, the denouement does feel believable, given what was learned previously about the characters and events which had taken place. It also felt like a satisfying conclusion. While I later confirmed that this book was the start of a series, as I had originally thought, it stands well enough on its own not to need a sequel if Ruth Downie had decided not to write one.

   I look forward to reading further books in the series, and perhaps eventually re-reading this one. You may want to check it out as well, if historical mysteries are something you like. 

Nova Britannia General Meeting: Novembris MMDCCLXXVII

Monday, November 3rd, MMDCCLXXVIII, 6:00 p.m. - 7:38 p.m.
Participants: Publius Sextius Laevus

Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia

Marcus Quintius Clavus

Numerius Octavius Astronomus

Aulus Iulius Paterculus

   When I joined the meeting, P. Sextius Laevus was already present. He asked whether I had seen the link which he had posted to a Latin Halloween story (https://beluosus.dreamwidth.org/544998.html) in Discord. I replied that I had seen this link both there and on the Nova Britannia list, though I had not read the story itself. I asked whether he wanted to make an attempt to read it during our Latin meeting later that month, and he replied that it depended on what others wanted to do, as it might make for slow reading. I agreed, recalling that our last attempt to read a story by the same author, while entertaining, had been rather challenging.

   Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia joined the call, followed shortly thereafter by M. Quintius Clavus. We had a short conversation on several modern topics, including vacination and various wildlife which people had encountered both close to home and while on trips. Quintius reported seeing bighorn sheep, rocky mountain goats, coyotes, and a wolf on trips in the Black Hills and Canada. Sibylla also brought up the issue of Quintius' car, which as it turned out had given out entirely. This meant that Quintius would need a ride to Sibylla's house for Saturnalia.

   Sibylla brought the topic back to Roman things, asking what each of us had been looking into recently. I mentioned having begun a fantasy audiobook about the Legio IX Hispania and its teleportation to another plane of existance (Lost Legio IX by Marc Alan Edelheit).

   Laevus shared with the others what he had been telling me about the story he'd read, and mentioned that it referred to a real Roman town which had been excavated near Cambridge, Durobrivae. He mentioned that there was a Wikipedia page and three YouTube videos (https://youtu.be/fbjnzTjBP58?si=W38wJk8mPKKPgywU ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_CCsWf1c9w ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TeCQhuTZVM) about it.

   Quintius talked about reading some letters sent by a Roman soldier who had attempted to join Legio III Cyrenaica (in ancient times, not our Legio III!) and was sent into the Navy instead before finally gaining the deployment he wanted. Laevus asked for the link to these letters.

   There was some discussion about the authorship of the gospels of Luke and Matthew based on the language, with Luke appearing to be a native Greek speaker while Matthew was not. Laevus mentioned a desire to learn Greek, but noted that there was not really time to pursue such a gramatically complex language at the moment, in addition to Latin. There was some conversation about the evolution of the Christian Church. Sibylla brought up the cult of Isis, and Quintius made the point that the Isis brought to Rome was a thoroughly Hellenized version of the goddess as a result of Ptolemaic influence. Laevus mentioned that he would like to have an in-depth religious discussion with a cultor or cultrix deorum. Quintius talked about a book he'd read about Roman army religion in Britain, including both Roman and indigenious British deities. He mentioned that the cult of Mithras appeared to draw mainly from the ranks of centurions, while lower ranking soldiers tended to worship a British god who was similar in certain ways.

   The call was cut off here. Laevus and Quintius rejoined, but Sibylla did not, presumably having gone to bed. Astronomus joined soon after, having just arrived back home from college.

   There was a bit of personal discussion, and Laevus told Astronomus a bit about the Halloween story and the town of Durobrivae, as Astronomus had been absent for the earlier conversation.

   Quintius said that he recognized the name, though he might not have been able to place the town on a map. He said he might have passed near the town on his trip to England. Quintius told us about some of the ruins he'd visited on that occasion, one of which was in a cowfield entered through a "kissing gate" (designed so that humans could pass easily while humans could not), which the tour guide had complained was not being maintained. Astronomus shared the YouTube channel of Paul Whitewick (https://www.youtube.com/@pwhitewick), who took viewers through some of these ruins in the British countryside.

   Laevus talked about having steped on the ground of the old Roman forum in one English town he visited, much to the annoyance of the residents of the home above, who had tourists traipsing through their house all the time. Astronomus said that the fact that it was underground showed how the ground had settled. Quintius remarked that this was much like the underground part of Seattle, which had similarly been buried through the passage of time.

   The meeting ended again, and this time Laevus did not come back. Quintius and Astronomus talked about upcoming events. Sibylla would be at Changing Times Changing Worlds (https://ctcw.net/ctcw-2025-speakers/). Quintius would be at the Worchester Art Museum November 22 (https://www.worcesterart.org/exhibitions/arms-and-armor/), but possibly not on December 13 when others from Legio III Cyrenaica would be there (https://www.worcesterart.org/events/arms-and-armor-up-close-legion-iii-cyrenaica/), due to the car troubles. Astronomus expressed a desire to gather some citizens to visit the Worchester Art Museum together for one of these events. We also talked about Saturnalia, and Quintius confirmed that there was no conflict for him after all, meaning it would probably be the weekend of December 20th-21st.

   There followed a discussion of the evolution of Roman helms and armour. Quintius cited Thomas Fischer (https://www.oxbowbooks.com/9781789251845/army-of-the-roman-emperors/) as an opponent of the school which believed in a more "linear" evolution.
  

Nova Britannia Latin Meeting: Octobris MMDCCLXXVIII

Monday, October 20th, MMDCCLXXVIII, 6:00 p.m. - 7:03 p.m.
Participants:    Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia

                        Publius Sextius Laevus

                        Marcus Quintius Clavus

                        Numerius Octavius Astronomus

                        Aulus Iulius Paterculus

    Early in the meeting there were in-person congratulations, first by M. Quintius Clavus and then by P. Sextius Laevus and me, of Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia on her adlection to the Senate. There was some discussion of what responsibilities this entailed, which it was agreed would also be posted in written form on the Nova Britannia list for future reference. Sibylla promised to be a voice for Nova Britannia in the Senate and told everyone to let her know their concerns.

    Quintius then left the call to enjoy dinner. I noted that it would be good to have a version of the phrase " Bon appétit" in Latin, but no one knew it.

    The three of us still present on the call spent some time reading and translating from Familia Romana. We read from the start of Capitulum IX to line 74, leaving on a cliffhanger: the words "Lupus collum ovis petit dentibus..."

    We decided to end the Latin session there, and were cut off just as Laevus was about to make some final comment. I returned just in case Laevus wanted to come back and finish what he was saying.

     This was fortuitous, because shortly thereafter, N. Octavius Astronomus joined the call. Astronomus explained that he had just returned home from school and asked whether there was any vital news in Nova Britannia. I commented on Sibylla's adlection and we discussed this for a while, as well as how the censors usually post the results of the census in general. Astronomus was struck by the fact that the censors hadn't contacted Sibylla beforehand, but had left her to discover her new status along with everyone else.

    Astronomus gave some updates on his work as Triumvir monetalis, working alongside Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus and Marcus Octavius Corvus to plan the creation of new Nova Roman coins. Astronomus said the process was going well but slowly, with the cost of the project being a large factor and an ongoing debate on whether to use modern or ancient minting methods. He added that the reception and use of the new coins by citizens was a major consideration. Astronomus also said he'd communicated with some Rome enthusiasts outside Nova Roma for advice on the project.

    Astronomus asked whether there had been any progress on the conventus. I said there had not, but that I had not tried to get in contact with Cassius recently and should reach out again.

    Astronomus described his busy schedule, but said that he would try to make at least one meeting a month and that he would try to let people know if he was planning to attend, so that we knew to wait for him. He sent greetings to everyone, saying to let them know he was still here.

Nova Britannia General Meeting: Octobris MMDCCLXXVIII

Monday, October 6th, MMDCCLXXVIII, 6:00 p.m. - 6:56 p.m.

Participants:    Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia

                        Marcus Quintius Clavus

                        Aulus Iulius Paterculus

   Upon joining the call, I asked Sibylla, who was already present, "What's new?"/"Quid novi?" She responded to both the English and Latin version of the question with a shrug.

   This prompted me to ask whether the shrug was used in ancient Rome, noting that in ancient Greece we knew nods to have a different usage than in most of the modern West. Quintius, who had joined about this time, concurred that nods and other gestures were different in ancient Greece. Quintius added that Jan Fraizer, whose YouTube series on Alexander the Great Quintius had found very enjoyable, had gone into this topic, as had some historical novels. However, the gestures used by the Romans had not been explored by the same sources. Quintius did comment that the shrug in particular was sometimes associated with the Jews. I wondered aloud how far back any such cultural connection might have gone.

  This lead to a discussion of Jewish history, and particularly of the Babylonian exile. Quintius clarified that the Babylonians had actually taken two groups of Jews captive at different times, both times primarily elites, while much of the lower class was permitted to remain in Israel. Quintius stated that these captives did not appear to have been enslaved, and added that slavery was somewhat less pervasive in Babylon than in Rome, though still extant. Also discussed was the origin of the Jewish diaspora with these events and the decision of some communities of Jews to remain abroad when the Persians ended the exile. Quintius wondered how far back the synagogue found at Dura Europus might have been found to date.

  I commented that the Romans also would probably not have enslaved members of a foreign elite, even if they were taken captive, as this would have compromised the broader project of co-opting the elites of subject peoples. Quintius agreed, citing the examples of Arminius taken as a hostage for his father and the of Claudians an elite clan of a non-Roman (non-Etruscan) people which had joined the Romans back in the Regal Period.

  I then asked about plans the others had for the Autumn season. Sibylla stated that farmer's markets were tapering off for the year. Quintius stated that he would be attending the East Kingdom Coronation for the Society of Creative Anachronism in Wooster, followed by the Providence Columbus Day Parade with Legio III Cyrenaica. He commented that it might rain, and that while they would march rain or shine, it was a bit miserable dealing with wet armour.

  This led to conversation about the weather, which Sibylla deftly brought back on topic by asking whether there had been frost in Rome. Both Quintius and I asserted that there had been. Quintius more specifically stated that there was cold weather on north shore of Mediterranean, but that the climate was mildness due to the temperature-moderating effect of the sea. He added that during the height of the western Roman empire, the climate worldwide was warmer and that archaeologists were able to measure drought.

 Quintius also mentioned that grapes in Britain during this time, another sign of warmer temperatures. I mentioned Concord grapes, developed during the era of the North American British colonies, as a form of grape which could endure a cooler climate. Sibylla stated that the Concord grapes were likely bred from indigenous wild grapes and I agreed.

 Quintius stated that humanity had engaged in selective breeding from time immemorial. Sibylla cited the examples of corn, bred originally from a kind of grass, and of the various exotic breeds of dogs. Quintius brought up cats as a species which had not been quite as heavily modified through breeding as dogs. I mentioned that there was a certain breed I'd heard of with dog-like behavior patterns, though I didn't recall which one. Quintius recalled something similar and also did not remember the breed, although he did mention that Siamese cats could become very attached to a single person.

  Sibylla stated that dogs were frequently mentioned by Romans in their literature and that cats had likely come north with the Roman Empire, although the Norwegian forest cats may have already been there from an earlier migration. Sibylla mentioned that these were the ancestor of the Maine coon cat (which she also later mentioned was the breed she'd had at home while growing up). Quintius recalled a genetic test which revealed some Siberian cat ancestry.

  Zoom then ended the call. Sibylla had time to warn us that she would not be coming back that evening, as it was time for bed.

  However, Quintius and I rejoined for a while. I asked Quintius whether the proposed date of December 21st for Saturnalia would work for him. He cited a potential conflict with the Yule celebration for the local SCA and agreed to discuss this with Sibylla once the SCA's dates were finalized.

  Quintius shared the sad news of having read an obituary on the Main List. I was shocked to learn that this obituary was for P. Annaeus Constantinus Placidus and we spent some time reflecting on his character and achievements.

  Quintius asked after Astronomus, and, after a bit of further conversation, signed off.

Nova Britannia General Meeting: Septembris MMDCCLXXVII

Monday, September 15th, MMDCCLXXVIII, 6:00 p.m. - 7:02 p.m.

Participants:    Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia

                        Aulus Iulius Paterculus

   The evening started with some catching up on one another's activities. Sibylla reported having been busy with the spice trade, which had been busy. I mentioned having begun Medicus by Ruth Downie, a book which Sibylla had confirmed having read in the past. We talked a bit about historical fiction, including the Marcus Didius Falco books and Household Gods by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove.

   Sibylla's roommate Cindy dropped by and shared some Latin quotations that she knew.

   We talked a bit about Roman cuisine, naturally including spices. Sibylla talked about the origins of the varieties of pepper (long and black). I recalled a recent interview with Mary Beard (though I don't recommend it too highly) in which there was a brief mention of the enormous amounts of silver mined in Spain and shipped east to buy spices. Mary Beard was new to Sibylla, and I recommended her as an authoress who was both accessible and academically qualified.

   We read a bit of Capitulum VI from Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata.

    We also briefly talked about the Interpretation of Dreams by Artemidorus, of which I had recently acquired a copy. 

   Sibylla disclosed that the date for our Saturnalia festivities was tentatively set - December 20th-21st. I encouraged her to share this on the list to make sure everyone was in agreement on the dates. Sibylla also mentioned that Cassius had firm dates for MithraCon.

    In discussing Saturnalia, Sibylla mentioned that Quintius was planning to bring his fantastic Roman cheesecake. I asked whether there was such a thing as Roman fruitcake. We both felt that there must be, and a brief search revealed this page, with a recipe from Apicius for a pear dessert.

    We also tried to brainstorm some ideas for future presentation topics. Sibylla came up with two interesting ones which neither of us knew much about - Roman farming and Roman fishing.

Book Review: Mystery Cults of the Ancient World by Hugh Bowden

     This is a fairly comprehensive overview of mystery religion in ancient Greco-Roman world, ranging from the best known (e.g. the Eleusinian Mysteries, the cults of Isis & Mithras) to the obscure (e.g. mysteries at Andania and Lycosura). The definition of "mystery cult" used by the author is broad and flexible, so as to include both one-time initiation rites and recurring (often ecstatic) ceremonies like those dedicated to Dionysus/Bacchus and Magna Mater. One chapter is even dedicated to the gold tablets found in certain tombs, which Bowden suggests may not have been linked to any ceremony in which the deceased had participated in life at all (despite the opinion of others that these were specifically buried with Orphic initiates).

     If there is a flaw in this text, it may be that Bowden is a bit too confident at times in reconstructing the broad outlines of some of the better-known rites, but all of his conjectures are grounded in either literary or archaeological evidence, frequently both. He does admit uncertainty at times and at least mentions some of the scholarly theories he rejects, such as the use of mind-altering substances by participants in the mysteries of Eleusis. Where there is a clear gap in evidence, this is disclosed as well.

    Particularly in the introduction and final chapter, Bowden draws interesting comparisons with contemporary religions, especially those Christian churches in which snake-handling is practiced. While such comparisons could be overstated (which Bowden is careful not to do), they do seem to provide some insight, as does Bowden's contrast between "doctrinal" and "imagistic" forms of religion.

    On the subject of images, this book had many, some in colour.

    Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of mystery cults.