After Action Report: Nova Britannia General Meeting Martius MMDCCLXXIX

Monday, March 2, 2026, 6:00 p.m. - 7:44 p.m.
Participants: Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia
    Publius Sextius Laevus
    Titus Ovidius Nonus
    Marcus Quinctius Clavus
    Numerius Octavius Astronomus
    Aulus Iulius Paterculus
   Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia, P. Sextius Laevus, T. Ovidius Nonus, and M. Quinctius Clavus proceeded me on the call by about 11 minutes and were talking about Latin and plans for dinner during that time. Laevus called me by phone and reminded me to join, which I did. Shortly thereafter, N. Octavius Astronomus joined as well.
   We discussed the Nova Britannia Facebook page, who had been participating there, and the post Nonus had made recently (which we hoped Cn. Lentulus would pin for us, as the moderator) to encourage anyone who had been interacting with Nova Britannia primarily through Facebook to join our list on groups.io (https://groups.io/g/NovaBritanniaProvincia) as well as to get involved with our meetings through Zoom & in-person. We discussed some technical problems which had come up with Facebook, particularly for Sibylla, for whom it was no longer a viable method of communication.
   Sibylla redirected the conversation to Roman things. Astronomus and Quinctius discussed business.
   Laevus explained that his name appeared as "retiarius" on Zoom because he had named the device he was using after the net- and trident-armed gladiator.
    Sybilla asked Nonus for confirmation that Nonus was a Maine resident and asked whether he had met with M. Cassius Julianus in Maine. Nonus recounted having met Cassius at the Renaissance Faire, where Cassius was selling ancient artifacts (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ImperiumAncientArts?section_id=33471086). Nonus had asked Cassius whether he was familiar with Nova Roma, to which Cassius had replied, with some surprise, that he'd co-founded it.
   Astronomus mentioned the other person he knew of in Maine who was active in Nova Roma, Tyler, whom he'd met with at the Kennebunk May Parade a few years earlier. This led to a brief discussion of that event. It seemed that Legio III Cyrenaica might not have enough legionaries in attendance to make their participation worthwhile.
   We also discussed MithraCon approaching on April 24th-25th, particularly how and when to register as well as the logistics of travel to New Haven. Sibylla stated that she would be bringing wine and shrub, which was similar to posca. Quinctius shared the recipe for recreated posca that he and other reenactors had imbibed together in the past: red grape juice, water, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Sibylla stated that she also had some non-alcoholic wine. Laevus said that he was thinking of attending MithraCon this year, a prospect which the rest of us greeted with enthusiasm..
   Nonus was asked where in Maine he was located and answered that he was in central Maine, near Orland. Laevus commented that he owned a pipe organ which had spent many years in Orland (after being built in Portland by John Knowles Paine in 1832) and that he had done some research on its history and that of the family that had owned it.
   Sibylla stated, for the benefit of those working out their travel plans, that she would be at the Courtyard Marriott setting up for MithraCon at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 24th.
   Laevus left the meeting at this time.
   I asked whether Nonus had any Roman garb. He said that he was actually making his own tunic and fillet. I suggested that he might consider attending the Kennebunk May Parade in Roman clothing, adding to whomever was able to come from Legio III Cyrenaica..Astronomus said that he would also like to participate again if it were to happen. Quinctius said that it would be complicated to come up this year, especially with all his Roman equipment. He did say that that he hadn't minded driving up in legionary garb, despite getting the occasional stare while stopped at the gas station.
   Sibylla pointed out that Quinctius was an optio. Quinctius confirmed this and gave a bit of background on the role this rank played in the Roman army. Astronomus asked whether Quinctius was the "chosen one", translating his rank literally; Quinctius verified that the rank came from the same root as the English word "option".
   Astronomus stated that he was going to an event in Auburn in March, the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard's rocket launch (https://goddard100th.org/) and that he would like to visit the Worcester Art Museum where Legio III Cyrenaica did so many of their presentations. Quinctius gave Astronomus some details about visiting the museum. Astronomus also said he planned to attend the Artemis II launch.
   Sibylla noted the recent request I'd sent out for gubernatorial candidates for Nova Britannia and the fact that she had stepped forward reluctantly. Quinctius related that he had expressed willingness to serve in the past and might do so again in another year, when conditions were more suitable. We discussed the appointment process by the Senate and the duties of the office, of which I said the most important was probably to ensure the provincial reports were sent to the Senate as they were due. Astronomus asked who the current and most recent governors were, and I answered that the office was vacant for the time being, but that Cassius had been the most recent.
   I requested permission to reach out to new Nova Roman citizens in Nova Britannia, informing them of our provincial list and of our upcoming meeting for MithraCon. Everyone present formally approved the measure.
   On the topic of new citizens, questions this past January on Facebook by a newcomer, Anthony, were mentioned. Anthony had been asking about Nova Britannia, Legio III Cyrenaica, and the SCA.
    I mentioned having tried to organize an event in the past during which all of the participants would make their own Roman clothing. Astronomus suggested that this might be a good situation for a partnership with another group. Quinctius told us about the current standards among reenactors regarding cloth clothing: hems have to be done by hand, but it is generally considered acceptable for the sides to be done by machine. Quinctius also mentioned that during ancient times garments were often woven in their final shape rather than as bolts of cloth, so hemming was not really necessary in many cases.
    Nonus showed off the hand-stitching on his home-made ancient clothing, advising us that starting off with a two-sheet tunic was a good way to learn. Astronomus stated that he would like to see the process. Quinctius recalled having sewn Tudor clothing. Quinctius mentioned that the Romans tended to have very roomy tunics, while those worn by the Greeks were more fitted.
   Nonus arranged to go to the Worcester Art Museum with Astronomus. Nonus also mentioned that Euripides' Medea would be performed at a public Boston theater the first weekend of April, suggesting this as a potential outing.
   At this point, Zoom ended the meeting for a second time. Sibylla & Quinctius did not come back, as it was getting a bit late.
   On the topic of potential outings, Astronomus mentioned the Greek theater in Storrs and expressed the hope that we could take a group trip there one day.
   I commented that Sibylla & Quinctius both knew people in the Society for Creative Anachronism and that the SCA would probably be a good group with which to partner, as suggested earlier by Astronomus, for a garment-creation meeting.
   We discussed arranging for Nonus to be added to the Nova Britannia channel on Discord, as the only provincial channel to which he had access on Nova Roma's primary server was America Transmissippiana. While we were on the topic, Nonus informed us of recent discussion in America Transmissippiana.
   We also took a brief look at Nova Roma's official Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/novaromanitas/), run by Flavius Stilicho, before finally closing the meeting.