Paganalia Festival Schedule

Saturday 28 January

12pm noon - Roman Paganalia Ritual
In celebration of Paganalia, the Roman festival of sowing, we will be performing a ritual to honour Ceres (the goddess of agriculture) and Tellus (Mother Earth). Come join us in celebrating the beginning of the Paganalia!
Location: Capitoline Temple, ROMA Foum, ROMA sim
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/28/203/79

1pm - ROMA PLAY: Proserpina
At 1pm will be a theatrical event based on the myth of Ceres. It is written and performed by ROMA Citizens and will take place in the Theater of Dionysus. Come join us for a very special event in celebration of the Paganalia.
Location: Theater of Dionysus, ROMA sim
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/26/184/64

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Sunday 29 January

12pm - Cloaca Croc Race
You may have explored ROMA's Cloaca Maxima before, but have you ever raced through it on the back of a crocodile? Well now you can! Our Cloaca Croc Race will be a timed race, with the 3 best times winning a cash prize. Can you navigate your croc through to victory before the competition? Join the race and find out!
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/60/35/45

1pm - ROMA Curiate Assembly
The conclusion of ROMA's Paganalia Festival will be a Curiate Assembly open to all citizens.
Location: Curia, ROMA sim
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/113/219/83

ROMA Copybotted (UPDATED x2)

It has finally happened. ROMA has been copybotted on a large scale.

In spring of 2010 Torin Golding, the owner of ROMA (SPQR) in Second Life, and several members of the ROMA community spent months building a reconstruction of the ancient Roman fort of Binchester in Second Life. The reconstruction (slurl to ROMA Vinovium) is an academic partnership with the Binchester Archaeological Project run by Stanford University in the US and Durham University in the UK.

It came to light today that last month (November 2011) at least two avatars came to ROMA and copybotted almost the entire build in ROMA Vinovium. They extracted this stolen content to another online grid, Inworldz. Several ROMA Citizens discovered the stolen content in Inworldz, along with other items illegally copied from other citizens including Achille Back, Tonina Rodenberger, Alekso Minotaur, Popea Heron, and Lef Leven.

The avatars whose name is on the stolen content- Ronja Abrahams and Chaja Abrahams- have been banned from the entire ROMA estate along with other names we have been able to link to those accounts between Second Life and Inworldz. We are also working to file official reports.

You can find pictorial details on the stolen content at this Flickr album.

The owners of the copybotted material, along with another avatar named Chantale Anatine, have begun a land and group in Inworldz called "Roma SPQR". Along with the stolen content this suggests that they are attempting to impersonate and mimic the Second Life estate of ROMA (SPQR), which has been in existence since 2006, in the new online grid of Inworldz.

It is a shame when people without scruples rip off hard working content creators, and attempt to exploit others' good name for their own selfish ends. We hope that the managers of Inworldz will take action and remove this stolen content (and these individuals) from a growing online world.

**UPDATED 3 JANUARY**
More copybotted content in Inworldz has been found, also owned and listed as 'created' by Ronja Abrahams and Chaja Abrahams. Some of the newest round of copybotted items can be seen from this point on in this flickr album. This includes a familiar sign that clearly states some of the content was build by Tonina Rodenberger, peter Woody and Achille Back, not by Chaja Abrahams which the Inworldz inspect window lists.

Additionally other members of our ROMA family have been copybotted by these individuals in Inworldz. One of the hardest hit was Ars Avete owned by Popea Heron and Lef Leven. The details of the items they had copybotted (with side by side photos) can be found in this flickr album.

DMCA reports have been filed and we hope the Inworldz authorities will act on them swiftly.

**UPDATED 4 JANUARY**
As of today it looks like all of the offending content has been removed from Inworldz.

• No items owned by Chaja Abrahams or Ronja Abrahams are left on the properties. The "Ancient Rome" sim has been reclaimed by a land baron (who interestingly is also in the "Ancient Rome" group started by Ronja and the suspiciously named "Roma SPQR" group started by Chantale Anatine)
  
  
• Torin, Popea, and Tonina are banned from the "Ancient Rome" sim (the only three people on the ban list).
  
  
• Chantale Anatine still owns the suspiciously named "Roma SPQR" sim to the north. No copied content was found here but she did seem to be at least partners with the copybotters.
  
  
• The ancient Roman builds Chantale Anatine (Ancient Pompeii) and Ronja Abrahams (Ancient Herculaeum) owned in SL are gone, although the groups still remain in SL search.
  
  
• Ronja Abrahams and Chaja Abrahams still show up in the Inworldz search.
  
  

Hopefully this looks like the matter has been taken care of. We would like to publicly thank the Inworldz management team (including the individual who helped us personally and kept us informed of developments) for diligently working very hard to solve this issue. Thank you very much for your time. It was appreciated.

-Torin Golding

October and ROMA @ V Festival Schedule

Saturday 15th October :

10am - ROMA @ V Armilustrium Ritual
Armilustrium honours the god of war, Mars - In His honour, Romans put away the weapons of war for the year, until warmer weather allowed for more lengthy campaigns. Join us and the Legion in celebrating this breif time of peace. Following the Armilustrium rite, we'll have a small party celebration in Fort Augusta.
Location: ROMA Sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/72/56/33

12pm - ROMA @ V Horse Relay Race
-October is the month of the horse and to honour our 4-legged friends & companions, ROMAns will form teams of two to relay race across the sims for a breathtaking race to the finish! There will a cash prize for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!
Location: ROMA Vinovium sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Vinovium/243/144/46

2pm - ROMA @ V ROMA Reminisces
After the long run across ROMA, we meet in the Baths of Caracalla to wash off the dust of the horse race and recall the past V years. ROMA has grown and blossomed into a welcoming community of friends, gifted artisans, scholars, and multi-faceted groups. Join us as we take time to remember the best of our growing years!
Location: ROMA sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/154/48/27

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Sunday 16th October :

10 - ROMA @ V Lemuria Ritual
In Roman religion, the Lemuralia or Lemuria was a feast during which the ancient Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. Though traditionally held in May, ROMA has moved this festival to coincide with the more modern celebration of Hallow'een, another day of ghouls and ghastlies. Our Lemuralia ritual will banish any malevolent spirits, both real & imagined, while welcoming the protective spirits of the Lares and beneficent ancestors.
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/144/82/303

11:30am - "Torin - This is your SL!" Banquet
Stick around for this raucous banquet & party honoring our very own Consul and founding father, Torin. One never knows who may arrive from the past........
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/130/120/811

1pm - ROMA @ V Legio Triumph
The pomp and majesty of a miltary parade will be demonstrated by our very own ROMAn Legion as they honour our emperor and five glorious years of ROMA!
Location: ROMA sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/89/133/45

3pm - ROMA Hallow'een Grand Feast
Ghouls and goblins, witches and forest spirits are all invited to the final Grand Feast! Join your neighbours, guests and friends for this Hallow'een feast, dance and a trivia game by our Host with the Most, Mickey James!
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/182/104/22

September Festival Schedule

Ludi Romani Schedule, 2011


Saturday, 24th September

*10am - Roman Ritual for Jupiter Optimus Maximus @ Jupiter's Temple,
ROMA

A ritual to honour the King of the Gods, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, followed
by a light social gathering with dancing and feasting. Come join us in
celebrating the beginning of the Ludi Romani!


*12pm - Ludi Romani Dog Races @ the Circus Maximus Hippodrome, ROMA

A traditional part of the ancient Ludi Romani were chariot races - but this Ludi Romani, we will be shaking things up a little! This year, we will be having dog races! The dogs are actually vehicles, and will be "driven" by each racer. Come race against other Citizens for prizes (anyone can sign up to race), or come watch the spectacle and cheer on the racers. There will be 3 races of 5 laps each, and 1st place in each race wins a prize!


*1pm - Ludi Romani Gladiatorial Games @ the Ostia Ludus, ROMA
Transtiberim

Witness our brave gladiators fight for the honour of Jupiter and the glory of
ROMA in several bouts to the "death"! The gladiator with the most bouts won will receive a cash purse and be granted a laurel wreath of victory by the Prefect himself! Come watch the bloody battles and cheer your favourite on to glory!


Sunday, 25th September

10am - Ludi Romani Carnivale in Fort Augustus, ROMA

Come have fun at our Ludi Romani Carnivale! There are sporting games to
play and free food! An important part of any ludi are the games, and Ludi
Romani means "The Roman Games". Games include En Garde, boxing,
archery, and wrestling. There will be official sporting rounds, where prizes can be won, and a casual round, where everyone can play for fun!

*12pm - Ludi Romani Fishing Contest @ 7Seas Fishing Dock, ROMA
Transtiberim

Come try your luck in the Ludi Romani Fishing Contest - using the 7Seas
Fishing system. First, second, and third place winners will get a cash prize, and everyone will be able to keep the neat things they pull out of the water.

*1pm - Ludi Romani Legio Soccer Match @ Legio Fort, ROMA Transtiberim

Come join us as our Legio faces off in a game of Harpastum in honour of the Ludi Romani! For this game, you'll see the contestants display considerable speed, agility, and physical ability. All citizens are invited to participate in the game or watch from the sidelines!

*3pm - Ludi Romani Grand Feast @ Field of Mars, ROMA Transtiberim

The final event of the Ludi Romani is the Grand Feast - there will be dancing,
feasting, and good company, as well as live music by Joaquin Gustav, and trivia hosted by Enamabala Towradgi. So please join us in bidding farewell to the Ludi Romani until next year!

August Festivals Schedule

Nemoralia, Vinalia, & Vulcanalia

Saturday 20th August

10am - Nemoralia Ritual @ Diana's shrine in Transtiberim
This month's festivals begin with a ritual for Diana & Trivia (Hecate, to you Greeks) honouring these Goddesses of the wild and the darkness. Please join us in celebrating the wild side of life, the natural world, and the mysteries of existence!
Location: ROMA Transtiberim sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/60/30/45)

10:30am - Nemoralia Chariot Races
In honour of Diana , we will be having a chariot race at the Hippodrome. Each contestant will race 5 laps, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places winning prizes! All are welcome to participate, chariot experience not required!
Location: Chariot racing stadium, ROMA Subura sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Subura/5/126/36)

12pm (Noon) - Diana's Animal Hunt
Diana has scattered images of her beloved animal friends across ROMA for Her faithful worshippers to find! Come join us in seeking the plushie pets! The hunt will take place across 2 sims: ROMA and ROMA Transtiberim. There will be 10 animals to find and collect, and prizes will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!
Location: ROMA plaza, ROMA sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/215/25/22)

2pm - Vinalia Rustica Wine Celebration
The ancient Vinalia Rustica was a celebration of the grape and the fruits of the Earth - during this festival, the alcoholic consumption was intense and Roman women were supervised and given less alcoholic drinks to prevent them from public drunkenness. But never fear - ROMA never waters down it's drinks! So drink and dance with us as we praise the gifts of the grape!
Location: Campus Martius, ROMA Transtiberim sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/180/104/22)


Sunday 21st August

10am - Vulcanalia Ritual
Our second day of festivals begins with a ritual to honour Vulcan, the God of the Forge, and asking His blessing on all our crafts. Since He was also the God of Volcanos and fire, we will have a building contest in His honour, with the theme of Metalcraft!
Location: ROMA Subura sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Subura/226/140/24)

10:20am - Vulcan's Build Contest
Since Vulcan was the God of the Forge and Smithcraft, we are holding a build contest in His honour! The theme is Metalcraft, and you can create anything which fits within that limit: weapons, silver tea service, jewelry, even artistic works reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower! All contestants will have 1 hour to build, and all are welcome, regardless of building skill-level!
Location: ROMA Subura sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Subura/226/140/24)

3pm - Moonlight and Firelight Grand Feast in Transtiberim
Our festivals wind down with the Grand Feast in honour of Diana, Trivia, and Vulcan - come dance with us in Vulcan's Forge, as the flames flare into the night! There will be live music by Zak Claxton & dancing, as well as trivia by our own Mickey James (with monetary prizes for the winners)!
Location: Campus Martius, ROMA Transtiberim sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/180/104/22)

Sneak Preview: The ROMA Cursus Honorum

You can now find a special sneak preview of a new program we will be bringing to ROMA in the near future. Introducing the ROMA Cursus Honourm. Essentially, the Cursus provides several things:

• A structured way for you to get involved in the life and activity of the estate
• A way to find out what needs doing and how you can help out
• An easy way to identify how the management roles in ROMA relate to each other

You can see the current state of the Cursus Honorum at this direct link: http://romacitizens.com/cursus.html . We are currently finalizing its structure and preparing all of the free items and clothing that every member of the Cursus will receive. Expect it to go fully live by the end of the summer, and the first open positions to receive candidates at the next Curiate Assembly.

If you look at Torin's profile, you can see one use for the specialized icons of the Cursus.

We've started a discussion thread at our messageboard. You can find it here: http://romacitizens.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=313

Stay tuned for more information about this exciting new development at ROMA!

Spring Festival Schedule

(Please note this month's festivals are Friday and Saturday)

Friday 22 April:

1pm - Roman Love Poetry Through the Ages
In a special Scholastica event to kick off our festival, Zelda Walpole will be giving a lecture on the poets and poetry of Ancient Rome, focusing on the romantic works. If you ever wondered how the Romans gave voice to their expressions of love, join us and discover the real Classical Romance!
Location: Gardens of Maecenas, ROMA Sim
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/146/160/54

2pm - Veneralia Ritual/Ask Venus
Our festivals begin with a ritual for Venus Verticordia, "The Changer of Hearts" - to petition Venus for support and aid in one's lovelife. After the rite, you'll get a change to ask all your love questions of Venus Herself! Our Alluring Goddess is flirtatious and coy, but She will guide you down the path to True Love (or at least an amusing side-trail)!
Location: Baths of Caracalla, ROMA Sim
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/154/48/27

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Saturday 23 April

10am - Cerealia Ritual & Corn Maze
The Cerealia is the Roman festival honouring the Goddess Ceres - she who holds sway over the fruitfulness of the Earth entire, and without whom Flora's efforts would be in vain. In keeping with this ancient tradition, we will be having a ritual in Ceres' honour, followed by a challenging Corn Maze. The first, second, and third to find their way through the maze from the entrance to the exit will win prizes - but you must find Proserpina and retrieve Her token before you can exit! Can you beat the Labyrinth in time? Come find out!
Location: Binchester Vicus, ROMA Vicus sim
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Vicus/75/162/55

12pm - Floralia Ritual & Flower Building Contest
Come celebrate the Roman version of Easter with us! The Floralia is the festival of the Goddess Flora, patron of flowers and spring fertility. In Flora's honour, we will have a ritual, followed by our Floralia Flower Building Contest. Basic building materials will be provided - and the contest winner will recieve a $L1000 prize!
Location: ROMA Subura sim
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Subura/66/82/2

2pm to 4pm - Festum Veris Grand Feast
Our Spring Festival culminate with the Festum Veris (Spring Festival) Grand Feast - come dance under the springtime stars with us! We will have live music by Zak Claxton, the ROMA Veneralia Date Auction, and trivia by our own Enamabala Towradgi. We promise cool tunes, wild dancing, and all around good fun - so come let your hair down in true ROMA fashion!
Location: Field of Mars, ROMA Transtiberim sim
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/175/122/22

Subura Community Gardens Now FREE!

Change to Pricing:
We have waived the $1 US fee to build a garden installation in the Subura Community Gardens. Things are tough economically all over, and we did not want that to interfere with providing relaxing green spaces for the Subura community.

Now, any current Suburan resident can claim a garden plot and begin building for free! (Please still claim the plot by paying the rental pyramid one linden dollar, which is the smallest denomination it will accept. We will reimburse you the linden dollar.)

Use your Subura Group tag to begin building. Sundays are the best day to claim a plot, as that is when the old builds will be cleared away.

Change to Contests:
Some liked the contest angle of the Community Gardens, some did not. So we will aim to satisfy both!

First and third weeks of the month will be free build. Come make any kind of garden or green space you want! Try a pond or a fountain. Make someplace you would like to hang out, and then invite your friends!

Second and fourth weeks of the month will be a competitive build along a theme. The theme will be announced at the start of the week. There will be special prizes and an RAS badge for each winner. Public voting will start each Wednesday of a contest week.

Not a Suburan Renter? No Problem!
Any Citizen older than 3 months can try their hand at a Garden by claiming the rental prim. Contact Zelda Walpole and she will add you to the Subura group for the duration of your week.

In addition, making a garden gives you a free week residence in the Menander Apartments! See Zelda for details if you are interested. Limit one free week a month.

Some Old Rules Still Apply

• All 12 Tables and Subura covenant rules are in effect
  
• No offensive builds and all must respect the non-Adult content rating for the Subura.
• No actual buildings. The build should be an open air garden theme with at least some plants or trees, although some things like furniture are allowed
• No deliberate blocking of paths or other people's builds
• No temp-rezzers or laggy scripts,
• No deliberately modern builds, although other ancient cultures besides Roman are allowed. Some flexibility for anachronism is allowed, but the build should be neutral or specifically ancient in design.

New In World Calendar

Announcing the new ROMA Event Calendar, accessible in world in the ROMA Plaza: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/177/60/26

It is color-coded to identify each week when standing ROMA events occur. In addition, one-off events like festival events and symposia will also be advertised here. So next time you are in ROMA, be sure to stop by and get caught up.

Also remember to check out the online version of the ROMA Calendar on our website at http://romacitizens.com/calendar.html

ROMA March Festivals

Saturday March 19th, 2011

9:30am - Rekindling Vesta's Holy Flame

Our festivals begin this month with the Rekindling of the Flame in the Temple of Vesta in ROMA. After the ritual, we will proceed into the Subura for the rite of Matronalia!
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/215/25/22

10am - Matronalia Ritual and Ladies Fête
Matronalia is the Roman equivalent of our Mother's Day, and this year, to honour the mothers and potential mothers of ROMA, we will be having a ritual to Juno - followed by a Ladies Fête. We will have couples dancing, serving boys, and a special contest for the men only: present a poem or prose composition on/about a woman in your life. This can be a mother, sister, girlfriend, friend, whatever - but it must be an original composition about how you feel about this woman. (Positive commentary only!) There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Subura/138/128/2

12pm - Subura Equirria Races
In honour of Mars and the Second Equirria, we are having a horse race from the Subura Gate, all the way through ROMA, and finishing in Transtiberim! Anyone can enter the race - you can bring your own horse, or use one of our demo horses. Even Centaurs are welcome! There will be a prize purse for the winner of the race!
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Subura/17/49/23


Sunday March 20th, 2011

10am - Bacchanalia Celebration
Come join us for the Bacchanalia! In ancient times, the Bacchanalia was a wild and mystic festival celebrating Bacchus, God of the Grape Harvest and Ecstatic Revelry. These celebrations were originally held in secret and only attended by women. Later, the worship was opened to men, but still retained it's wild abandon. In ROMA, the Bacchanalia is our reason to party, drink, and be wild things! So come dressed in your wild man/wild woman best and party with us!
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/175/122/22

12pm - Quinquatria Ritual for Minerva and Boxing Matches
Minerva is the goddess of the Quinquatria, a balancing force of just & honourable battle against the passionate and wild war symbolised by Mars. Our ritual today honours Her wisdom and justice, as well as asking Her blessing upon our ROMA. After the ritual, we will have boxing matches - just and honourable battle against a respected opponent. There will be prizes for the top contender and the runner-up. Whether spectator or fighter, it should be an exciting battle to watch!
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/171/152/32

3pm - Bacchanalia Grand Feast
Come join us for the conclusion of our March Festivals - The Martius Grand Feast! We will have music, dancing, a trivia contest by our own Trivia Master, Mickey James, and a costume contest. Theme of the Costume Contest will be Famous Warriors, both fictional and non. Prizes will be given for best male and female costumes.
Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/175/122/22