Nova Roma sets out to bring the traditions of ancient Rome back to life by rebuilding the institutions the Romans themselves would have recognized. This article walks through how the community is organized: its citizens, government, religious colleges, laws, provinces, and legions.
A Roman Society
Citizens of Nova Roma belong to a social structure that closely reconstructs the ancient one. There are patricians and plebeians, equestrians and senators, and the same classes, centuries, and tribes that organized Roman life. The aim is for citizens to feel part of a genuinely Roman community, not just an organization that studies Rome.
Magistrates and the Senate
Nova Roma’s government is modeled as closely on the Roman Republic as is technically possible. Its executive officers are the magistrates, elected each year by the comitia, the citizen assemblies.
At the top are two consuls, who serve as the chief magistrates and presidents of the res publica with equal authority. The praetors act as deputy presidents and stand in for the consuls when needed. They also oversee Nova Roma’s judiciary, its internal system for resolving complaints and conflicts. The aediles handle cultural activities, infrastructure, and the everyday civic life of the community. The quaestors assist the higher magistrates and administer the treasury.
The Senate is patterned on its Republican predecessor as well. It is the governing body of Nova Roma and, in modern organizational terms, its board of directors. Senators are appointed by the censors during the census.
The Priestly Colleges
Reviving Roman public life also means reviving Roman religion and custom. That work is guided and supervised by the Collegium Pontificum, which is made up of the pontifex maximus, the pontifices, and the flamines. The college oversees the reconstruction of the mos maiorum (the ancestral customs), the Roman virtues, traditional ceremonies, and the sacra publica, the public rites of Roman religion.
The auspices are regulated separately by the Collegium Augurum. All other priesthoods and priestly colleges operate under the direction of the pontifices.
Laws, Edicts, and the Constitution
Nova Roma’s legal system is modeled on that of ancient Rome and covers the rules that apply to and within the organization, including its bylaws and policy resolutions. These come from several sources:
- leges (laws) passed by the comitia
- senatus consulta, the decrees of the Senate
- pontifical decrees
- edicts issued by the magistrates
All of it rests on one foundational document, the Declaration of Nova Roma. Every policy, whatever its source, must conform to it.
Provinces
Geographically, Nova Roma is divided into provinces (provinciae). A province might cover one country, several countries, or only part of a single country. Unlike Canadian provinces or U.S. states, Nova Roman provinces are creations of the Senate. Under the lex Cornelia Domitia de re publica constituenda, the Senate can create a new province or combine existing ones by senatus consultum. It also appoints and replaces provincial governors.
The Legions
Nova Roma has a large number of reenactment legions. Many are fully Nova Roman legions, and others are allied legions that serve as its “auxiliaries.”
Reenactment here is more than living-history theater or museum education in Roman clothing and equipment. The legions are Nova Roma’s honor guard. They restore the military traditions of ancient Rome in a non-violent, ceremonial, and educational form. Within the wider cultural organization, this ceremonial army plays a role similar to a scouting movement.
The chain of command follows the Roman model. Each legion is under the imperium of the governor of its province, who acts as its general. The consuls are the supreme commanders of the entire exercitus. Legionary officers aren’t actors, either. They’re appointed from the rank and file after the necessary training and qualifications.