Part of my entertainment and joy is reading.  I love books - I have almost 3000 books in my library in my office at home.  The majority of them are history books.  In 1998, I found out about this organization dedicated to learning and living the values and virtues of the Roman Republic and I just felt a strong connection and immediately joined.  Back in 1998, I actually had to mail in my application via surface mail.  I think, if memory serves, I was citizen number 12 (if you joined you became a citizen). 

Nova Roma's entire structure was based on the Roman Republic and if your a history geek like I am you will immediately see the attraction of trying to recreate an ancient society in this modern world using modern means of communication.  I was in essence one of the founders.  If you had an interest in Roman or ancient history, this was your place.  If you had an interest in military history, this was your place.  If you wanted to learn about the ancients, how they lived, ate, drank, even sex this was your place.  One of my favorite hangouts was the "Back alley" where we would just drop our "virtual toga's" and vent and be ourselves. LOL

On the whole most of us members took ourselves very seriously.  So seriously that I paid taxes (dues - yearly - and not just for myself but for those in my familia).  We had our organization structured just like the ancients based on Gentes (Clans).  And, I was the first member of the organization to complete the Cursus Honorum (Way of Honor) by holding the Quaestorship (Secretary), Praetorship (Judge) and Consul (Head of government).  I was Consul twice, and Censor.  I also had the largest Families in the organization (the Corneliae).  The name I went by in the organization was Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix - named after the infamous dictator of ancient Rome. 

I met my two previous girlfriends from the organization. Nicola who was about 11 years younger than me and then my ex-fiancee Greta. 

I was also very controversial because I strove to be very traditional.  Of course I was also called a Nazi and a homophobe over there! LOL  Which was ironic because my namesake was a well-known bi-sexual individual (according to Plutarch). Yet at the same time I started become more...Jewish.  Even to this day, I am still a Senator there, a friend of mine pays my dues yearly, but I got very burnt out and tired that there were too many people in the organization who I felt did not take the goals seriously. 

UPDATE:  I forgot to add something important.  It was through this organization that I had my brush with fame.  Back in 2001 when Gladiator was nominated for 13 Oscars various media outlets contacted Nova Roma as a study group to get our opinions out as to the reason why Gladiator was so popular. As I was Censor at the time I fielded most of the interviews.  During the media blitz I was interviewed by KCBS Radio and the Associated Press.

Posted by: Robert Woolwine at 12:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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