Byways of the Internet (1)

Nova Roma (see introductory Wikipedia article) is a "Roman revivalist group" created in 2751 a.u.c.—that's 1998 for those innovators who use the Christian calendar. It is "dedicated to the restoration of Classical Roman religion, culture, and virtues." According to Wikipedia, barbarians outsiders regard it as one of a number of internet-based "micronations", but some of its members emphasize more its educational and religious goals. It broadly resembles the better-known Society for Creative Anachronism, but is "much smaller", with about 1000 members. Nova Roma's administration is conducted under a constitution resembling that of the Roman Republic. Her territory is as yet limited to her "symbolic world capital", an undeveloped 10-acre ranch in Western Texas. ("This area of Texas", they note optimistically, "is very similar to parts of such ancient Eastern Provinces as Dacia, Moesia and Armenia.") Her special-interest groups (sodalitates) include one dedicated to gladiatorial combat, but as this is "held in as safe a manner as possible" it sounds a bit of an anemic affair; they also seem reluctant to bring back slavery for some reason, and have given women voting rights.

Nova Roma's State religion is the cultus Deorum Romanorum: "The cultus Deorum Romanorum is the pre-Christian religion of Rome. Sometimes called "Roman Paganism", the modern practice of the cultus Deorum is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient faith of Rome as closely as possible, making as few concessions to modern sensibilities as possible. As with other forms of historical reconstructionist paganism, every attempt is made to rely on actual historical and archaeological evidence, and interpolations are made only when the primary sources are silent, and then we strive to be consistent with them." (Other religions are also tolerated, though, they promise.)