ROMA @ II Video

A FANTASTIC new video has been made by our resident filmmaker JT Vale.

It shows highlights from the recent ROMA @ II celebrations.

You can watch it here.

[ Be sure to stick around for the final 'stinger' ;) ]

Well done JT!

New LEGIO Blog Site

The LEGIO XIII group has started its own blog site. You can find it here:

http://legioxiiisl.blogspot.com/

Contact Brodbiz Bagration for more information.

ROMA @ II Celebrations!

October 2008 marks the second anniversary of the opening of ROMA as its own estate. This makes ROMA the original ancient Roman themed land in Second Life. To mark this birthday we are holding a week of events from 12-18 October.

Here is a full schedule:

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ALL WEEK LONG EVENTS:

• THE “II IN ROMA” PHOTO CONTEST

Over L$7000 in prize money is available to be won during this contest which will run the length of the festival. See the official rules on the photo board in the ROMA Plaza.

• BUMPER CHARIOTS

During the festival, Bumper Chariots can be rezzed around the estate. You can drive these anywhere in the estate (beware that they will de-rez when you stand up!)

The ROMA Fort will be turned into a Bumper Chariot Ring- come here and play with your friends!

• ROMA MERCHANTS DISPLAY

There will be a display offering freebies from our ROMA Merchants in the Julian Plaza, just over the sim line in the Subura.

• ROMA MARITIMA FUND RAISER

Donation boxes will be scattered around the estate soliciting donations to help with the purchase price of our new ocean sim, ROMA Maritima! Please donate if you can and that money will go to support the cost of the new sim.

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12 OCTOBER (Sunday)

10 am - ROMA Blessing Ritual
The priests and priestesses from the Collegium will perform a public blessing of ROMA to open the festival. Afterwards there will be dancing! (Location: ROMA Throne Room)

12pm Live Music- Stella!
Sella Silvansky will come and give a live music concert to keep the party moving. (Location: ROMA Throne Room)

4pm ROMA Scholastica Symposium: Latin Beyond Rome
William Gide will present a talk as part of the lecture series sponsored by the ROMA Scholastica group. (Location: ROMA Basilica)

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13 OCTOBER (Monday)

11am Fishing Contest
Come take part in the 7Seas Fishing Contest in ROMA. 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. (Location: Lake Trasimenus in ROMA Transtiberim)

6pm Night Fishing Contest
Come take part in the 7Seas Fishing Contest in ROMA under the stars. 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. (Location: Lake Trasimenus in ROMA Transtiberim)

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14 OCTOBER (Tuesday)

1pm ROMA Scholastica Symposium: The Etruscan Roots of Roman Religion
Ludovik Cazenove will present a talk as part of the lecture series sponsored by the ROMA Scholastica group. (Location: ROMA Basilica)

2:15pm Gladiator Fights!
The Ludus Dacicus Gladiatorii group in ROMA will sponsor exciting gladiator bouts in the arena in Ostia. There will be cash prizes for the winners. Those wishing to take part should make sure they are members in good standing of the Ludus group and make their intention to fight to the group's officers. (Location: Ludus Arena, Ostia in ROMA Transtiberim)

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15 OCTOBER (Wednesday)

4pm ROMA Scholastica Symposium: Latin Beyond Rome
William Gide will present a repeat performance of his talk as part of the lecture series sponsored by the ROMA Scholastica group. (Location: ROMA Basilica)

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16 OCTOBER (Thursday)

1pm Military Triumph
The Legion XIII and LEGIO groups will stage a massive triumph in the ancient Roman style, parading through ROMA to the Capitoline Temple, where ROMA’s priests and priestesses will perform a blessing ritual. (Location: Come watch anywhere along the parade route)

2pm Treasure Hunt
Immediately following the triumph, a large treasure hunt and live-action contest will be held in the estate. Cash prizes for the winners!

6 pm The Origins of the Senate
Senator and Censor Mickey James will present a public talk on the origins of the ancient Roman Senate. (Location: ROMA Basilica)

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17 OCTOBER (Friday)

11am Special Ave Weekend Party
Start your weekend off with some great dancing and chat. (Location: TBA)

1pm ROMA Scholastica Symposium: Caligula - A Mad Tyrant?
Serafina Itano will present a talk as part of the lecture series sponsored by the ROMA Scholastica group. (Location: ROMA Basilica)

8pm Special Ave Weekend Party
Start your weekend off with some great dancing and chat. (Location: TBA)

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18 OCTOBER (Saturday)

12 pm ROMA Scholastica Symposium: Gender & Sex in Ancient Greece and Rome
CatDeville Llewellyn will present a talk as part of the lecture series sponsored by the ROMA Scholastica group. (Location: ROMA Basilica)

4pm ROMA Halloween Costume Party
Halloween comes early in ROMA! This feast and dance will mark the official end of the ROMA @ II celebrations. There will also be prizes and a trivia contest. (Location: TBA)

Ludi Romani Schedule

Saturday, 13th September

11:30am - Roman Ritual for Jupiter Optimus Maximus @ ROMA Transtiberim

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 Chariot Races @ the Circus Maximus Hippodrome in ROMA

A traditional part of the ancient Ludi Romani were chariot races - and for our Ludi Romani, we have our own! Come race against other Citizens for prizes (anyone can sign up to race), or come watch the spectacle and cheer on the racers as you drink wine and nibble Rich Imperialist Tidbits. There will be 3 races of 3 laps each, and 1st place in each race wins a prize!


2pm - Jovian Nymph & Faun Chase through ROMA Transtiberim

One of the favourite pastimes of the Gods was chasing beautiful nymphs (much to the Goddesses chagrin), and Jupiter was no exception. For our Ludi Romani, you'll get to chase our ROMA nymphs & fauns. Chase them around Transtiberim and try to tag them - the one who tags the most nymphs or fauns will receive a prize!

Sunday, 14th September

9am - Ludi Romani Carnivale in ROMA Transtiberim

Come have fun at our Ludi Romani Carnivale! There are games to play, rides to enjoy, and free food! Some games even have prizes to be won! The Carnivale also features a kissing booth, where you can get a kiss from a lovely Priestess or handsome Senator for as little as $L15! So don't miss it!

10am - Ludi Romani Athletic Games @ Fort Legio Augusta in ROMA

An important part of any ludi are the games, and Ludi Romani means "The Roman Games". Our games will feature Archery, Wrestling, Rock Climbing, and Discus & Javelin Throwing - 1st place winners will all recieve prizes, 2nd & 3rd will recieve $L200, and all winners will be given a laurel crown in honour of their achievement. Come show off your athletic prowess for the Ludi Romani!

12pm - Ludi Romani Grand Feast @ the Temple of Jupiter in ROMA

The final event of the Ludi Romani is the Grand Feast - this year to be held inside the Temple of Jupiter on ROMA's Capitoline Hill! There will be dancing, feasting, and good company - some please join us in bidding farewell to the Ludi Romani until next year!

ROMA in SL Showcase

ROMA has been featured prominently on the Lindens' Second Life Showcase page!

It is currently one of the four highlighted areas representing notable Arts & Culture builds in Second Life.

The blurb there says "Journey to ancient Rome in this expansive area, which includes replicas inspired by many famous sites, such as the Forum and the Theater of Dionysus."

You can see the entry for yourself at this url: http://secondlife.com/showcase/arts/

Yay ROMA!

ROMA Pride 20 September

ROMA will be hosting its first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Friends Pride event all day September 20, 2008.

Events are open to all! Come and join in the fun!

11:00 AM SL Time
Pride Parade
Citizens are invited to make a float for the Parade, march, or just line the main street of ROMA to watch the parade. The route will wind its way from the ROMA fort, past the Arena, through the Plaza, through the Subura, and end at the Subura Baths. There everyone is welcome to enjoy themselves and socialize at our Subura Tea Dance.

2:00 PM SL Time
Pride Symposium: Same-Sex Relations in Antiquity
ROMA LGBT & Amici and the ROMA Scholastica Antiqua groups are co-sponsoring a lecture and symposium open to all. Torin Golding, owner, builder and Urban Prefect of ROMA, will give a short lecture on same-sex relations in antiquity. Then the floor will be opened to all for a general discussion of the topic, and on the general incorporation of LGBT within an SL context. The venue will be the large Basilica in the ROMA Forum. Come early to grab a couch!

4:00 PM SL Time
ROMA God and Goddess Drag Ball
Our final event will be a ball. Citizens are invited to come in a drag costume of a particular god or goddess of the ancient world. If you are normally a male in SL, come as a goddess. If you are normally a female in SL, come as a god. You can change anything except your shape to help with your drag outfit. Lots of dancing and fun for all, and we will be giving a prize for the Dragus Maximus and the Draga Maxima of the Ball!

TransTiber Love

Just came across this... sorry I missed it first time around:

As many know, we were the Sim Of The Week (SOTW) in the Metaverse Messenger back at the start of June...

The authors did a rare follow-up the week after and covered the ROMA Transtiberim sim. I'm so happy about this, since it highlighted some of our great Citizen content in Ostia.

You can read the follow up here on the MM site: [PDF Download]

ROMA PRO VITA = M x 150

ROMA's Relay for Life team, ROMA PRO VITA, raised over 150,000 Lindens ($528 US) to fight cancer and fund cancer research!!!

For their efforts, the team won two major awards: The 'RFL Endurance Team Award' and the 'Spirit of Relay' award. They are currently on display in the ROMA Plaza.

Many thanks to team captain Spaciva Ivanova, all the team volunteers, and all of the donors!

Overall the Relay For Life Organization in SL raised more than $210,000 US.

Brand New ROMA Social Network Site

Avete Citizens!

Add 'Social Network' to the list of Web 2.0 features available at ROMA. Think of it as 'Facebook for ROMA'.

It is called, imaginatively, ROMA Citizens.

Sign up and you can have all the links for ROMA in one place, consult event schedules, contact other Citizen friends offline (without having to sign into SL), share your photos, and... network!

This social network site was inspired by the popular one Angelia created for Collegium members. Hopefully Citizens will find it useful!

Get socializing today!

Vestalia/Bellona/Quinquatria Festival Schedule

Vestalia -- 13th June

3pm -Vestalia Ritual and Subura Procession in ROMA & ROMA Subura

Ritual to honour Vesta and celebrate the Vestalia @ the Vestal Temple in ROMA, followed by a procession through the Subura, where we will stop at various houses to be welcomed and given wine & gifts. The Procession will parade through the Subura and back into ROMA, to end with a party in the Felicitas Tavern. Be sure to buy a souvenir sunglobe at the houses we stop at along the way! (All proceeds go to the Collegia Religio Romana, who bring these monthly festivals to ROMA)

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Festival of Bellona-- 14th June

10am - Legio Romana Cohors Equitata Horse Parade & Combat
@ the Fort Legio VII Augusta in ROMA

The Legio Romana Cohors Equitata will honour us with a parade through the streets of ROMA beginning in the ROMA Plaza to display our fine cavalry, and ending in Fort Legio VII Augusta where they will display their horseback combat skills.

12pm - Bellona Games @ the Ludus Dacicus Gladiatorii in ROMA Transtiberim

Come to the Ludus and watch our brave gladiators fight for the honour of ROMA and the Goddess Bellona! Free Ludus Bread and wine at the door.

2pm - Amazon Combat @ the Flavian Gladiator Arena in ROMA

In honour of the War Goddess, Bellona, the Amazons will present a combat demonstration in the Flavian Gladiator Arena. Come cheer our Amazons on and celebrate their victories!

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Quinquatria-- 15th June

1pm - Fortunes and Oracles in ROMA Subura

We will be celebrating an ancient Quinquatria Tradition - that of consulting oracles and fortune tellers for a peek into the future the Gods have in store for us! There will be modern tarot reading, provided by Morgana Fillion (for a small fee) and free Delphic-style Oracle readings provided by Spaciva Ivanova, with Ludovik Cazenove as her priest-interpretor. Curious about what the future holds? Then consult our diviners!

3pm - Quinquatria Build Contest in ROMA Subura

A building contest in the Subura which celebrates the arts and Minerva as it's Patroness! Entries must be a build, but may have anything to do with any area of "the Arts", including (but not limited to :) domestic arts such as weaving and pottery making, fine arts such as sculpting & painting, entertainment arts such as music and dance. So come build something with us which reflects your commitment and dedication to the Arts in ROMA, and your reverence for Minerva as Patroness. Prizes will be given in three level categories, beginning, intermediate and advanced in two divisions, pre-built and improvisational. A special Minerva's Favorite prize will be given to the one build which best reflects reverence for and connection to Minerva, (i.e., is most directly related to Her aspects or myths) regardless of level or division. Winners will be announced and prizes given out at the Grand Feast (but contestants do not have to be present at the Feast to win).

5pm - The Vestalia/Bellona/Quinquatria Grand Feast
@ The Gardens of Maecenas in ROMA

Themed feast to celebrate the end of Festivals - Costume themes can reflect any of the three festivals and their goddesses - Vesta (Home, Family, Flame and Warmth), Bellona (War, Military Prowess) or Minerva (War, Wisdom, and the Arts). There will be food, wine, dancing, and the announcement of the winners of the Quinquatria Build Contest, as well as a contest for most creative costume with a cash prize, so please join us for a fun-filled night of celebration and prizes!