Nova Roma
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Nova Roma

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Nova Roma

Nova Roma (English: New Rome) is an international Roman reconstructionist, cultural revivalist, and educational nonprofit organization formed in 1998, later incorporated in Maine. Nova Roma is dedicated to promoting "the restoration of classical Roman religion, culture, and virtues" and "shared Roman ideals".

Notable for providing extensive resources about Roman culture, Latin, ancient Roman costuming and reenactment, Nova Roma aims to be more than a community of reenactors or history study group. Based on the reconstructed Roman ceremonies and spiritual aspects of the activities of Nova Roma, Strimska, Davy, Adler, Gallagher-Ashcraft, and Chryssides have noted its importance to Roman reconstructionism. Because it has a structure based on the ancient Roman Republic, with a senate, magistrates, laws enacted by vote of the comitia, its own coinage, and its self-identity as a "sovereign nation", some outside observers classify it as a micronation.

The most important goal of Nova Roma is to provide a living community for Roman reenactors, scholars and fans of ancient Rome, and to all varieties of people who self-identify as Romans in the present day modern world, and to revive those traditions through which an authentic Roman identity can be experienced and expressed. Since one of the most authentic and traditional forms of cultural self-expression for Romans was the celebration of various festivals, rites and ceremonies, Nova Roma has adopted the ancient Roman religion as its "state religion", while also guaranteeing the freedom of religion of its citizens. The British scholar Michael York noted that the traditional Roman way of thinking, Roman philosophy, provides the moral code for Nova Romans.

Both the domestic traditions and the so-called sacra publica are reconstructed by Nova Roma as authentically as possible, including the restoration of the ancient priestly collegia, like the offices of pontifex and flamen, and the honoring of the full cycle of Roman holidays throughout the year. According to the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, at the time of Christmas, Nova Romans celebrate the Roman holiday Saturnalia.

In 2006, Margot Adler noted the organization's plan to restore a Magna Mater shrine in Rome.

Nova Roma holds its own local and international conventions and regularly participates with its affiliated reenactment groups in such history festivals and public events as the Festival of Ancient Heritage in Svishtov, Bulgaria, the Roman Market Day in Wells, Maine's Harbor Park, and Forum Fulvii in Italy, Ludi Savarienses Historical Carnival, the Aquincum Floralia Spring Festival in Budapest, Hungary, or the Natale di Roma (a festival linked to the foundation of Rome) in Rome, Italy, where Nova Roma celebrated its twentieth anniversary.

Among the cultural activities of Nova Roma, competitions and games associated with various Roman festivals have an important place. They can include a wide range of various programs from humorous online games up to serious art-competitions like the Certamen Petronianum, a literary contest of historical novel writing first held in 2005, where the jury was composed of notables including Colleen McCullough, author of many Roman-themed best-selling novels, and T. P. Wiseman, university professor of Roman history and former vice-president of the British Academy, or the second edition of the same competition, where the jury was Jo Walton, World Fantasy Award-winning novelist and poet.

Nova Roma has minted two coins with the denomination of sestertius, one in bronze, issued in 2000, and another in brass, dating from 2005. Each bears the letters SPQR and has a diameter of 32 mm, a thickness of 1.8 mm. These sesterces are convertible into 50 US cents, if sent back to the treasury of the organization, thus they can be used in place of real currency between members of the community.

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