S t a t e o f t h e N a t i o n

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2

Web Sites You Should Know

Websites:

Main Site

Map of Citizens

Photobucket

Facebook Groups:

Main List

Byzantium Novum Citizens

Ladies of the Byzantine Nation

Senate

Augustaion (for citizens of BN

who also are in SCA):

Yahoo Groups:

Main List

New Citizens

The Chancellery

The Senate

The Literature Club

The Militarium

The Foreign Ministry

Classical Religion

Byzantium Novum Church

For cultural subjects

To discuss “real world” options

for BN

Latin Study Group

Augustaion

Practical Military Exercises

Local Yahoo Groups:

Diocese of Anatoliou Pegalous

Province of Prasino Boura

Province of Megalopotamia

Province of Neophthia

County of Texas

County of Greece

County of California

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Spices and Recipes 2-3

Great Links! 6

Links from Baduila 7

Book Reports 8

Current Territories &

Administrators 9

Welcome New Senator 11

The Birth of a Pearl 13

B Y Z A N T I U M N O V U M

The Basilica

January 2013 Volume 3, Issue 1

Greetings all,

It is hard to believe that Byzantium Novum is heading into its third winter! As of

November, 2012 our micro-nation currently has 326 Citizens located around the

world. We currently have 3,798 contacts on Facebook, and our overall Internet

presence continues to expand!

Overall, Byzantium Novum is doing quite well! We have been able to maintain our

presence and infrastructure, and our steady, stable growth is as expected.

Our goal of manifesting Byzantine civilization through living community and a restored,

working government is progressing well. We are already one of the largest and most

organized micro-nations in history. As our local Colonies grow, we will be in an excellent

position to build new interest and involvement in "things Byzantine" worldwide!

The largest challenge we continue to face is that of popularization. Byzantium really *is*

the "Forgotten Empire" and it is amazing how many people worldwide know almost nothing

about it! The Eastern Roman Empire often gets little attention in schools, and that is a

tragedy for civilization itself. Byzantium encompasses over a thousand years of critically

important history and culture. It laid the foundations of the modern world and deserves to

be a living part of the world's future.

Happily, there is much within Byzantine history, civilization and culture which offers hope

that Byzantium can and will be revived. The Eastern Roman Empire is a rich world - and

when people begin to explore it amazing treasures come to light! Byzantium Novum exists

to return Byzantium to the world and everyday life. It is an important goal, and one that will

continue to be fun and interesting along the way!

Even though Winter was a quiet time in the ancient world, it is a productive time for

Byzantium Novum during this first micro-national phase. Our Citizens are spread out

all over the world, so we do much on the Internet. The colder months are in essence

our "campaign season" as people spend more hours online.

I wish all a happy and peaceful Christmas, and a prosperous New Year!

-Marcus Cassius Julianus

P a g e 2 T h e B a s i l i c a

Byzantine Savory Spice Mix

¾ cup mixed color peppercorns

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup parsley

½ cup whole coriander

½ cup savory

½ cup ground cumin

½ cup cinnamon

½ cup celery seed

¼ cup whole white peppercorns

¼ cup whole juniper berries

6 tablespoons ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground cloves

Grind whole spices

Grind together in a 1 quart jar

1 level teaspoon is appropriate spice for each portion

Byzantine Sweet Spice Mix

¼ cup Byzantine Savory

½ cup cinnamon

¼ cup whole coriander

¼ cup whole cardamom

2 tablespoons orange peel

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground cloves

Grind whole spices

Grind together in a 1 quart jar

1 level teaspoon is appropriate spice for each

portion

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

"Roman borscht"

Make a stock of water, sweet white wine, salt, and a skinny old chicken. (Bring to a boil and cook until the chicken is thoroughly done.)

Then peel four beetroot and add them to the stock. Remove the chicken. When the soup is dark red and tasty, strain it and pour it

back into the pan. Leave it to cool. If preferred, remove some of the chicken fat and replace it with a dash of olive oil. The Russians

often used ferment beetroot juice in borscht. In all likelihood the Romans also discovered that the soup tastes better after a few days.

Bring the soup to a boil every 12 hours to prevent it from spoiling. Add pieces of chopped beetroot before serving.

Reference:

Patrick Fass (Eds.-Author), Shaun Whiteside (trans.) "Around the Roman Table; Food and Feasting In Ancient Rome," (Univ. of Chicago

Press - 1994)

The Mortar

By Marcus Municius Audens

The mortar (mortarium) occupied a prominent place in the kitchens and restaurants, and was used not only to grind salt, pepper, and hard spices but also to pound herbs into paste and vegetables into pulp. Meat and fish were mashed and minced in the mortar for all kinds of dishes, such as terrines and meatballs. Sauces were blended in it too. You can emulsify and blend vinaigrettes and mayonnaise in a mortar, without any whipping -- in fact, all the work of modern food-processors and blenders can be accomplished in a mortar (with a little extra elbow grease!!). The order in which ingredients are put into a mortar is of some relevance. Anything that must be ground to a fine powder, then sieved goes in first, when the mortar is dry; things such as coriander seed, bits of husk, cumin, fennel, and cardamom. Then follow the smallest seeds and the hardest spices, such as lovage, rue, rocket, mustard, poppy, and fenugreek. Dried herbs, the stalks removed, follow, and then sturdier ingredients, such as garlic — coarse salt helps to reduce it and other vegetables to a fine paste. The Romans also used the mortar to crush nuts and dried fruit into a paste as the base of many sauces. The pastes were mixed with liquids, such as broth or brine, vinegar or wine, water or oil, or some combination of these to make various kinds of sauces. Reference: Patrick Faas (Author / Eds.), Shaun Whiteside (trans.), "Around the Roman Table; Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome," Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1994 *ISBN 0-226-23347--2 (pbk)+.

P a g e 4 T h e B a s i l i c a

The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204-1453,

by Mark C. Bartusis. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.

Collapse, chaos, and slow decay seem to be the hallmarks of the late Byzantine

Empire. As land, power, and money ebbed, the Army suffered resulting in the ever-

increasing decline of the empire. This book provides an excellent summary of the

civil wars and seizure of the empire by crusaders that set the stage for the empire's

eventual collapse to the Ottomans in 1453.

The book is divided into two major sections: The Army as an instrument of policy and

the Army as an institution. The first is largely the history of the empire in the years

immediately preceding the Late era, including the role of the emperor as principal

policy maker and the army‟s role and involvement in the civil wars that racked the

empire in those years and how the true Byzantine Empire was re-established. The

second portion describes the army itself as imperial commanders, mercenaries,

pronoiars, local militia, garrison and border guards, and the imperial tagmata as

well as forces borrowed from neighboring countries: primarily Serbs, Ottomans, and

Italians. Following the two principal sections, appendices are provided showing a list

of soldiers (most of them common troops), a glossary, and a list of rulers (including

neighboring states and despotates).

I got this book from an excellent library at the Gray Research Library at Marine Corps

Base Quantico in violation of my usual technique of buying books. Within a week of

slow reading I regretted that decision. This book is a definite keeper. The wealth of

research material on the organization and history of the various types of soldier will

make this book one that I will return to many times in the future.

There are weaknesses. As is common in the medieval era, there were very few given

names and this book does not have a clear way of telling one John (for example) from

another, forcing me to go back over and over to figure out who exactly was doing

something. At one point an emperor would be referred to by his given name, later by a

nickname or family name. Unfortunately, I‟m fairly new to this whole Byzantine history

business so I really struggled with this and lost a lot of time.

I recommend this book highly for those of you who may be interested in the late

empire.

Book Report on “The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204-

1453”

By Baduila Chalkeus

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

Book 11, Item 16:

"Live through life in the best way you can". The power to do so is in a man's (or woman's) own soul, if he is

indifferent to things indifferent. And he will be indifferent if he looks at these things both as a whole and

analyzed into their parts, and remembers that none of them imposes a judgment of itself or forces itself on us.

The things themselves are inert: it is we who procreate judgments about them and, as it were, imprint them on

our minds -- but there is no need for imprinting at all, and any accidental print can immediately be erased.

Remember too that our attention to these things can only last a little while, and then life will be at an end. And

what, anyway, is the difficulty in them? If they are in accord with nature , welcome them and you will find them

easy. If they are contrary to nature , look for what accords with your own nature and go straight for that, even if it

brings you no glory. Anyone can be forgiven for seeking his own proper good."

Editors' Comments / Notes:

A compilation of familiar doctrines and themes for living through life 'in the best way you can.' For 'indifference'

see notes 0n 2.11.4, 5.12, 5.20, and 8.10. For recommended modes of analysis see notes on 3.6.3, 3.11,

and 4.21.2. For 'things themselves are inert' unless activated by our judgments of them, see note on 5.19 and

compare in particular 4.3.4 and 11.11. For accordant with / contrary to nature see note on 6.33. For the triviality

of praise / glory / fame see notes on 4.20 and 7.34. The final sentence adds a pleasant touch of irony.

Marcus Auden's Comments:

Whenever I am given the opportunity to read this book, it seems that I always come across something that is

soothing to my soul (whatever that is) and I feel easier in my mind somehow. The trick many times is to analyze

'indifference' in the correct way, in order to calm oneself, such as a leaking roof, flooded basement, loss of a

loved one, or other what we would call "serious" aspect of life. However, we do have a very strong weapon to fight

these 'indifferents' in the shape and size of our own mind and it's immeasurable ability to solve those things in

which life includes us, as we proceed. I have at least learned that much from the "Meditations" and the lesson for

me has been quite valuable.

From Marcus Aurelius “Meditation”

Shared by Marcus Municius Audens

From Cassius

I saw this interesting article on Glycon, the snake deity associated with Asclepius, the god of healing:

I've always found the story of Glycon interesting. His worship survived into the Byzantine period, even though it had

serious detractors. In spite of a lot of bad press the worship of Glycon continued until forcibly put down along with the

other faiths of late antiquity.

Glycon first came to my attention from an archaeological site where a statue of him

had been hurriedly buried along with the statues of other deities, presumably to

preserve them from being smashed by Christian mobs.

Also, we interestingly see Glycon practically on a daily basis, as I believe he's

represented on the caduceus which is still used as a medical symbol.

Some Interesting Links on Things Byzantine

Byzantine town found in Israel

On Greek Icons

On Hellenism in Byzantium

Bulgarian Archaeologists Discover Major Roman, Byzantine Town

Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints' Lives in English Translation

Some Byzantine Recipes *Note: Some of these aren‟t quite perfect, but close enough!!

Names for Varangians

Lexicon of Greek Names

Wall Street Journal article on Byzantium

Lars Brownworth‟s lecture series on Byzantium

On Prostitution in Byzantium

Edward Luttwalk on the Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire

All About Bread Stamps

On Byzantine Winemaking

Roman and Byzantine Jewelry Found

Ancient Artifacts Discovered Underwater Skiathos Island

Byzantine Fortress and Town Found in Bulgaria

Byzantine-era Mosaics Found in Galilee

Roman-era Maps from Google

When Same-Sex Marriage was a Christian Rite

Interactive on the Greek House

Archaeology of a first-century wizard

Yale Collection of Ancient Glass

Metropolitan Museum of Art Byzantine Collection

From Baduila Chalkeus:

While I am a Christian, I am not Orthodox, but one thing I really love about the Orthodox churches is their use of icons. I

find nearly all of them beautiful, even beyond their significant religious meaning.

This website is focused specifically on showing and describing Byzantine icons and they are beautiful.

Byzantine Icons are the sacred, visual and spiritual treasures of the Eastern Orthodox Church. They are an integral part of

the Orthodox Christian Faith. Many also are a visible sign of the great devotion and love of the Orthodox faithful for the

Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God."

Read (and see!) more here!

This is what appears to be a good history of the Byzantine expatriates who fled to Italy as the Empire began to crumble.

"Traditionally, the fifteenth-century Byzantine exiles in Italy have been seen largely in terms of their contribution to

the revival of Greek studies during the Renaissance. This can be traced in part to an enthusiastic outburst by the

contemporary writer Leonardo Bruni, who claimed that one of them, Manuel Chrysoloras (d.1415), had restored to the

Italians a knowledge of classical Greek, which had been lost for seven hundred years (Bruni, 431)."

It's a short and easy read, and shows how the cultures of that area colluded to survive.

Read more here!

This is a good website with an abbreviated history of the Byzantine Empire including, interestingly, their impact on their

neighbors.

"The Byzantine Empire, founded when the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred from Rome to Constantinople

in 324, existed in the eastern Mediterranean area until the fifteenth century. The arts and culture of this "New Rome"

continued the pan-Mediterranean traditions of the late antique Greco-Roman world, setting the standard of cultural

excellence for the Latin West and the Islamic East. The results of the cultural development of the Byzantine Empire

during these centuries has had a lasting impact on such modern nations as Albania, Armenia, Belorus', Bulgaria, Cyprus,

Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Rumania, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Syria, Ukraine, and Turkey."

This is pretty basic stuff, but I found it interesting.

Read more here!

Here's what appears to be a really good website on Byzantine philosophy.

"The main part of the article is divided into three sections. Section 1 attempts to situate Byzantine philosophy in the

general context of Byzantine culture and education, and to give a brief survey of the more important philosophical

authors and their works. For Section 2, we have made a selection of two especially significant topics in the fields of

natural philosophy and metaphysics. This arrangement allows us to look a bit more closely at the form and content

of some Byzantine philosophical views and arguments without giving up the ambition to be reasonably historically

comprehensive."

It's all pretty concise, so it won't take all day to read.

Read more here!

CURRENT PRIESTHOOD IN BYZANTIUM NOVUM

Priest of Jupiter/Zeus - Marcus Cassius Julianus

Priestess of Vesta/Hestia - Amma Doukaina

Priestess of Sulia Minerva - Helena

Priest of the Dii Imperii - Origen Kamber

Please contact Marcus Cassius Julianus or see the Byzantine Pagan site for more info!

Book Report

By Marcus Municius Audens on

“Saracen Strongholds AD 630 - 1050, The Middle East and

Central Asia”

P a g e 8 T h e B a s i l i c a

This book draws upon many pre-existing Romano-Byzantine, Iranian, Central Asian and

Indian traditions of the military architecture, as well as many influences from the Far

East. Over the period of time covered by this volume the Islamic world gained much in

the areas of fortifications, and weaponry associated with fortifications. These gains

were in the Islamic way very highly sophisticated, varied depending upon the terrain,

climate, building materials and effective as well as lasting construction techniques.

During this learning process about military architecture, the early lessons were based

on defending towns and villages as well as borders between various countries and

controlled areas. These specific needs were to the Islamic forces the absolute need for

these period Saracen fortifications to defend industry, trade and the ever changing

frontiers of their world.

In my estimate this book was a valuable part of my personal education pertaining to the

Islamic Fortifications over the centuries in this part of the world, as well as a valuable

reference to open up additional aspects of this subject.

*Editor’s Note: The bibliography of this book has been added to the reading list found here under the title “Book List.”

From Marcus Cassius Julianus

An interesting article about Dura Europos, a border city between Rome and Parthia

This article mentions the Palmyrene sun god Iarhibol. One of the images is of an altar on which I

made a quick offering back in 2002, during the New England Conference on Mithraic studies.

We were checking out the Dura Europos Mithraeum, which was at the Yale University Museum. I'd

never heard of Iarhibol before, and was checking out the altar and other dedicated items, including

a mosaic of a Roman officer making offering to him.

One of the Christian attendees came up behind me and said jokingly with a laugh; "Well, I guess old

Iarhibol doesn't have a whole lot of worshippers these days!"

For some reason that made me furious. I had a Nova Roma coin in my pocket, and placed it on the

altar and did a quick prayer saying I'd do what I could to restore his worship. The end result was the

Temple of Iarhibol.

Anyway, Palmyra, the center of Iarhibol's cult, was Byzantine territory until 642 AD, so pretty much

the last of his worship would have been done by Byzantine citizens. (So, this is all on topic after all,

lol!)

P a g e 9 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

"Food in Medieval Times" was written by Melita Weiss Adamson.

ISBN 0–313–32147–7

Recently I found myself with no Internet or cable for a day, and I took to this book thinking it

would at least give me something to look at for a bit. I ended up reading the entire book in one

sitting, something only a foodie like me could do as this book is all about food in medieval times!

Starting with food stuffs, Adamson provides an in-depth look at medieval food and cooking with-

out making it boring. I really enjoyed the easy reading as opposed to some books on medieval

cookery which are practically all in the old language. It's no secret that redacting a medieval

recipe takes work, and sometimes the language poses a problem. Adamson makes this book

very easy to understand and any question that popped into my head was quickly answered.

The organization of the book is wonderful.

The notes are full of wonderful other titles, many of them favorites of mine! I was excited to get

some new titles to read as well. There is also a great list of suggested readings, many of which I

will absolutely be hunting down for my own library!

Moving from eating habits to food preparation and cuisine by region, to a chapter how food and

religion were interwoven, the flow is great. The book ends with ideas about food and nutrition

in the medieval period. It's an easy but fascinating read that anyone with a serious interest in

medieval food and cooking should have on hand. It's a great reference for planning a meal from

a specific region.

My next book is "Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food" by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. I read

it years ago for research in college, and loved it. It does run through the 20th century, but the

overall topic is a favorite, and it was dirt cheap.

We also had a lucky find at the book store the other day. We found Medieval Art by James Snyder

for under $25 in excellent condition. I'll never sit through it all to read it, but there are many

beautiful pictures to look at and a quick glance found a good deal of Byzantine work!

Blessings,

Amma

"Vir" what? By Baduila Chalkeus

P a g e 1 0 T h e B a s i l i c a

In ancient Byzantium, various notables were awarded recognitions beginning with the word vir, Latin for

'man'. We have continued that policy in Byzantium Novum.

The Administrative Handbook explains these, in order of precedence:

Highest level honorifics:

- Applied to Presidents of the Senate.

- Applied to Senators who are heads of any Imperial Office or Association.

- Applied to all Senators.

- Applied to all first tier deputies of Imperial Offices or Associations; vicars and chiefs of

staff of dioceses; magistrates of colonies; and presidents of provinces.

Other honorifics:

- Awarded by the Senate for great achievement (one at the end of each year)

- Awarded by a vicar to someone in his/her diocese for great achievement (one at

the end of each year)

To date, we have had only one President, Marcus Cassius Julianus, and thus only one Vir gloriosus.

There are four who may use the honorific vir illustris: Baduila Chalkeus (head of the Grand Chancellery

and Foreign Ministry), Matyas (Grand Chaplain), Marcus Municius Audens (head of the Militarium) and

Amma Doukaina (head of the Biblotetheca Byzantia). All remaining senators may use the honorific

Vir spectabilis. Vir clarissimus includes quite a few people, so I won't list them all here. No one has been

awarded the honorific Vir magnificentissimus yet, but I was awarded Vir eminentissimus by Vicar Amma

Doukaina in 2011.

I have not been able to do any research on how these were used, but recommend against using more than

two at a time. Using them adds something extra to make a mundane email sound more Byzantine and

shows respect for the person addressed using them.

Baduila Chalkeus, Vir illustris et eminentissimus

P a g e 1 1 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

Report of the Provost of the Insignia

Greetings fellow citizens!

As I was winterizing my boat a couple of months ago, I was thinking I would like to have a yacht pennant, jack or an

ensign to fly during my fishing and pleasure trips next summer. I came up with a simple naval jack and a yacht

pennant for our nation and, if these designs meet with the approval of the Senate and the people of Byzantium

Novum, I will have some made. I would like to hear any comments or reactions from our citizens to these designs,

so please let me know what you think by posting on the group mailing list or by direct email. If you are interested in

purchasing a pennant or a jack, I will post more information on the finished products in mid-January.

I am always ready to assist anyone or any group associated with Byzantium Novum to design and properly display

insignia, coats of arms and other identifying marks and symbols. Heraldry provides a good means to ensure our

national image (and for that matter our personal branding), when presented in a way that is distinctive, meaningful

and consistent with the purposes and goals of our modern micro-nation. So, if you would like to design a personal

coat of arms or if you are part of a local group that needs an official coat of arms, please contact me to get the

process started.

I remain in your service,

Marcos Galanis

Provost of the Insignia

Count of Alaska

Yacht Pennant mock-up

Like it? Let Count Marcos Galanis know!

Naval Jack mock-up

Like it? Let Count Marcos Galanis know!

Baduila Chalkeus, Clerk of the Senate and Grand Chancellor of Byzantium Novum, to the Senators, Governors,

Generals, Counts, Officers & All Citizens of Byzantium Novum, Greetings.

In September, the Senate:

-Appointed Gaius Antonius Germanicus as Count Third Class of Louisiana.

There was no polling in October.

In November, the Senate:

- Appointed Count Alexius Kaspax to the Senate of Byzantium Novum

- Thanked Mary of Egypt for one year of service as Count Third Class, and appointed her Count Second Class of

South Africa

- Appointed Jeremias to be Count Third Class of the Central Federal District of Russia (Resignation accepted De-

cember 19, 2012)

- Appointed Damianos Patrikios to be Count Third Class of Pennsylvania, and

- Appointed Ovidiu to be Count Third Class of Romania

In December, the Senate:

-Thanked Marcus Cassius Julianus for his year of service as Count Second Class of Noviodunum (Northern New

England), appointed him to a lifetime appointment as Count First Class, and awarded him the honorific of Hýpatos.

-Thanked Baduila Chalkeus for his year of service as Count Second Class of Chernosesus (Virginia), appointed him

to a lifetime appointment as Count First Class, and awarded him the honorific of Hýpatos.

-Apointed Christophoros Iacobos Anglia as Count Third Class of Missouri.

-Appointed Anselm as Count Third Class of the United Arab Emirates.

-Appointed Tiberius Iulius Nerva as Count Third Class of the Czech Republic.

-Appointed Pater Georgios as Count Third Class of Honduras.

The Empire of Byzantium Novum is seeking volunteers in

several key positions. If you are interested in any of these or

have questions regarding them, contact the Grand Chancellor,

Senator Baduila Chalkeus.

Assistant Foreign Minister: These are assistants to the Foreign

Minister and regional experts on areas important to our Empire

in a historical context. Must be willing to participate by sharing

information on the area of your regional assignment on the

Foreign Ministry Yahoo Group. The position available is for the

German and Italian states.

Magistrates: We are seeking magistrates (governors) to form

colonies of Byzantium Novum in the following parts of the world,

with assistance from the Grand Chancellor. Must be willing to

organize a local group and operate it in accordance with the

directions of the Senate.

USA: Washington-Oregon-Idaho, Illinois-Wisconsin, Michigan-

Indiana-Ohio, California-Nevada, Pennsylvania, Maryland-DC-

Delaware and New York.

Europe: England-Wales, Netherlands-Belgium-Luxembourg,

Germany, Greece and Serbia.

Mayors: we are seeking mayors to organize face-to-face meetings

in these local areas: New York City, Glasgow, London and Belgrade.

P a g e 1 2 N e w s l e t t e r T i t l e

Senate Activities

Help Wanted

Let us know what you‟d like to see

in upcoming issues! Your time and

input are valuable! Your

knowledge should be shared!

The options here are wide open!

Please include a photo of yourself

with your submissions if you can.

Senators and other officers

please send in your biographies

with photos!

Questions and ideas can be sent

to the editor.

Are you a writer, photographer,

artist or have an interest in writ-

ing a piece for The Basilica? We

would love to have your input,

and articles, book reviews, reci-

pes, photos, stories, drawings

and more would be wonderful

additions to the newsletter!

You must be willing to sign a re-

lease for anything used in this, or

other publications by Byzantium

Novum. Release forms are

available from Amma.

W e l c o m e t o S e n a t o r A l e x i u s K a s p a x

S u b m i s s i o n s t o t h e

B a s i l i c a

P a g e 1 3 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

Senator Alexius Kaspax comes from the Kaspax family of Constantinople. This minor

aristocratic family has a long standing tradition of service in the Imperial military, which

Alexius joined and in which he served. His service was noted early on and later he be-

came an Imperial Count to serve in the Imperial government, and later for a short time

as a magistrate. Now the Count of Hawaii, Senator Kaspax has also been named Em-

pire's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. It didn‟t take long before Alexius was asked if

he would be willing to join the Senate if he was selected to join. Alexius was selected to

join and accepted the offer.

In real life, Alexius Kaspax is Shay-Aleksey Kennedy and serves in the US Army

Chaplain Corps. On 6 January 2013, he will be tonsured a Reader in the Eastern

Orthodox Church as well as with the US Army for Eastern Orthodox soldiers serving

on deployments. He comes from a family with long standing Templar ties.

Carl O. Shuster, "The Byzantine Navy; AD 324-1453," Strategy and Tactics Magazine, #272 Jan-Feb 2012,

Bakersfield, CA

The article begins with "Origins" and notes the last battle of the great Byzantine Fleet as it fought its way through

the Turkish Blockade to bring supplies to the beleaguered city of Constantinople, 20 April 1453. It goes on to

tell about the origins of the Byzantine Navy from its Roman predecessors. The Eastern and Western Fleets

essentially worked together until the year 476 when the Byzantine Navy was officially recognized as such.

Constantine's fleet was essentially manned by Greeks with just a few Roman naval veterans and it utilized the

Greek rank and ship operating system.

The next section of the article is "Early Opponents" mentioning the Vandals and their extensive war throughout

the Mediterranean, the Goths and Visigoths too threatened and finally after defeating the Vandals Emperor Zeno

paid the Ostrogoths to raid Italy so he could concentrate on Persia.

"Naval Strength, Structure and Organization" is the next section outlining the advancing organization of naval

themes for the defense of the empire. The fleet headquarters was established at the island of Samos (AD655),

and a thematic fleet at Sicily (661). Four others were established in the ninth century; Paphlagonia (819), Chaldia

(819), Samos (843), and the Aegean (882). The strength of the Byzantine Navy peaked at 34,200 oarsman, and

8,000 marines in AD 911. In the 11th century the thematic fleets were disestablished and the bulk of the fleet

was then stationed at Constantinople.

The following section is named "Justinian" who enjoyed the success brought to him mostly by the brilliant

leadership of the Commander Belisarius. The story about the following years and Justinian's wars bring us

to the next section named "Islam Rising." At first this new threat was essentially a land army but the Islamic

Forces learned quickly, and the Caliph's governor in Egypt built a squadron which was successful in repulsing a

Byzantine counter attack, in AD646 and thereafter both he and the governor of Syria built fleets using Christian

shipbuilders and crews. With these new fleets they took Cyprus away from the empire in 649 and raided Crete ,

Rhodes and Sicily in 649. They demonstrated their strength off Constantinople in 654. The wars between the

empire and Islam waged until the defeat of the Islamic Al-Walid again the empire bribed another country to

engage the enemy and because of several faults in the Arab system they withdrew from Constantinople in 717,

and a great storm destroyed the Arab fleet as they were sailing home.

The next section is about "From Leo to Basil" discussing the strategies and battles lasting until 944 when the

Byzantine Fleet destroyed a Muslim fleet off Naples. The fleet then assisted the army in its drive into Syria by

moving up the Danube River and blocking the Rus armies retreat in 975. However the empire then fell into civil

war. However the Byzantine fleet destroyed the Bulgar Fleet on the Danube, and in 993 destroyed the Muslim

fleet being built at Alexandria. In the years that followed in the section labeled "Final Resurgence and End" the

fleet steadily grew smaller under budgetary limitations. The next section is "Ships and Crews" which discusses

the types of ships used in the Byzantium Navy from the "liburna galley" and "dromon" to the "pamphylos" and

"ousia" of the smaller ships.

The last section has to do with "Tactics" which discusses "Greek Fire" and shipboard catapults, as well as hand-

thrown "bombs" containing scorpions, burning pitch and / or quicklime.

The article is an excellent read for anyone interested in the Byzantine Navy over the period of the empire.

P a g e 1 4 N e w s l e t t e r T i t l e

Book Report on “The Byzantine Navy”

By Marcus Municius Audens

P a g e 1 5 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

The Birth of a Pearl

By the rippling waves she came to me,

Rising out of the foam,

Under moonlit water,

A golden beacon against the dark sky,

As clouds stirred by my command,

Lightning bolts confirming her birth,

From the foam came a pearl made into flesh,

And that of bone,

The essence of love and beauty,

Captured within her heart,

By the shoreline,

I admire what the foam created,

The future Mother of the Roman people,

I look to the sea in approval,

In thanks to what the water gave me.

©2012 Krysanthe Meridia Altessa Aeternia

Founding of the Empire of Byzantium Novum (8 Feb 2010)

First President of the Senate (Marcus Cassius Julianus) appointed by the Senate (1 Dec 2010)

Founding of the Colony (now Province) of Megalopotamia (1 Apr 2011) (currently the Virginias)

Founding of the Colony of Valentia (1 Jul 2011) (Scotland)

First publication of The Basilica (1 Jul 2011)

Founding of the Colony of Nova Gallica (1 Sep 2011) (Easterrn Canada)

Founding of the Diocese of Anatoliou Pelagous (1 Sep 2011) (Virginias, Carolinas, Tennessee &

Kentucky)

Founding of the Province of Prasino Boura (1 Sep 2011) (Tennessee & Kentucky)

Founding of the Province of Neophthia (1 Sep 2011) (Carolinas)

Founding of the Colony of Nova Raska (1 Nov 2011) (Texas, Lousiana & Arkansas)

Founding of the Colony of Noviodunum (1 Mar 2012) (Northern New England)

Founding of the Colony of Neoaustralia (1 Mar 2012) (Australia)

What dates do YOU think are signficant? Add them to the list by sending them to Senator Baduila

Chalkeus

P a g e 1 6 N e w s l e t t e r T i t l e

Key Dates for Byzantium Novum

Byzantium Novum Trivia

1. What is the proper office for the governor of a colony?

2. What is the name of the Colony in Eastern Canada?

3. How many citizens are required to form a colony?

4. What are the requirements to be a count second class?

5. What are the three provinces in Anatoliou Pelagous, our first Diocese (Theme)?

Answers page 16

P a g e 1 7 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

Senator Baduila Chalkeus, Grand Chancellor of Byzantium Novum, etc., to the citizens

of the Empire, greetings this cold winter's morning!

First of all, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Alexius Kaspax to the Senate.

We felt we needed his abilities there. Currently, we have seven active members, one

honorary member and one member on hiatus. You will recognize Alexius from his

service as Deputy Foreign Minister, Count of Hawaii and sometime Magistrate of Nova

Raska. Congratulations, Senator Alexius!

Secondly, the Administrative Handbook is out of date. I plan to rewrite it in the coming

months. If you have comments on ways it could change, things that could be added, or

things that should be removed, please send them to me by the end of January with the

subject line ADMIN HANDBOOK. Thanks.

Lastly, if you are count or a chancellor, please join the Chancellery of Byzantium

Novum. You can also do so by emailing the Chancellery. This list is restricted to

senators, counts and chancellors.

Procedures to Establish Diplomatic Relations

1. A citizen of the Empire of Byzantium Novum finds a group or organization who could be interested in

establishing relations with Byzantium Novum.

2. The citizen contacts the Foreign Ministry ( i.e. Minister or Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs) with the group

or organization, details on the group, and the group's website.

3. The Deputy Foreign Minister will go to the group or organization's website, read over the group, and find the

group's contact information.

4. The Deputy Foreign Minister will draft an update for the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the group or

organization to be brought before the Senate.

5. Initial contact will be established by the Foreign Ministry requesting mutual recognition of both groups or

organizations.

6. Upon receiving a reply of acceptance of mutual recognition on both sides, a proposal letter will be drafted.

7. Send the completed letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for ratification by the Senate and signature by

the President of the Senate of the Empire of Byzantium Novum.

8. Minister of Foreign Affairs will notify the group of recognition and the opening of dialog between the group

and the Empire of Byzantium Novum will begin.

“A slave loading oil on to a ship at Ostia, the busy trading port of Rome.”

Original Drawing by Marcus Municius Audens

BOOK REVIEW by Baduila Chalkeus

Pat Southern and Karen Ramsey Dixon, The Late Roman Army. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University

Press, 1996.

This was an excellent little book (under 200 pages) that describes the late Roman Army in great detail

In thoroughly enjoyable, readable way. Those of you who have been keeping up with me know that my

real joy in the Roman era is the late empire the era of constant crisis, German generals, and rapid

military evolution.

There are ten chapters: Sources, Crisis and Transition, Barbarians and Bureaucrats, Recruitment,

Conditions of Service, Equipment, Fortifications, Siege Warfare, Morale of the Late Roman Army, and

the End of the Army. While the chapter names describe what they discuss, there are a few that stand

out. The book is also well-illustrated with photos of original and replica equipment and sketches of forts.

In the chapter on sources, the authors describe where they got the information they used to do their re-

search which ultimately led to this book. It‟s a short chapter, but interesting to scholars because they

describe recent findings that have changed thought on the Roman world.

In the second chapter we find a general history of the era names of emperors and generals which will

be familiar to all. There is a particularly good discussion in this chapter on the dramatic changes in the

organization of cavalry when it began and who was responsible for it.

A large part of the chapter on Barbarians and Bureaucrats describes the barbarianizing of the Army as

large numbers of Germans (including Goths and others) were brought into the Army due to man power

shortages and a desire to find employment for a large number of violent men with no other

skills. Interestingly, the authors also cite original references on the attitude of the Romans on the

enlistments of barbarians into the military. There is also a good piece here on the administration of the

Army, which describes it without making it boring.

The chapter on morale was a real eye-opener. It‟s hard to look back over two millennia and see

the exhaustion of the Roman people and military due to the enormous pressures put on them by

invaders. It is generally not covered in history books at all. What dragged down the Western Empire was

not a single cataclysmic defeat, but a steady grinding away of the morale of the military, who less and

less saw Rome as their homeland, but merely as an employer.

This book certainly scratched my itch on the era and I think it will do the same for you if you‟re a fan

of this time. Scholars of both the Roman and Byzantine eras will

find something of value here. I recommend it highly.

This book is available from Amazon and excepts can be read on

Google Books.

A Most Delightful Dish of Brains

A much less primitive puls, described by Apicius, indicates that Roman puls

resembled risotto, its direct descendant. The only difference is that risotto

rice is used, rather than spelt, but anyone who has made risotto should

have little difficulty in putting a refined puls on the table.

According to Vehling, this dish was named after the emperor Julian. Given

the large amounts of meat in it, tis seems a little wide of the mark: Julian

was a vegetarian.

„Julian puls‟ is cooked as follows: place cleaned alica in water. Boil it. Do

this until it is hot. When it is hot, add oil. If it becomes too thick, dilute it

carefully.

Take two cooked brains and a half pound of meat ground as for forcemeat.

Pound them together and transfer to a different pot. Grind pepper, lovage,

and fennel seed. Add garum and a small amount of wine. Pour this into

the pot with the brains and the meat. When it is heated through, mix it with

the stock. Add the meat carefully to the alica and stir with a spoon, diluting

it until it has the thickness of a sauce. (Apicius 186)

Ingredients:--

1 pair of brains;

250g pork sausage;

1 teaspoon of lovage seed;

1 tablespoon peppercorns;

1 tablespoon fennel seed;

600ml meat stock salted with garum;

200ml white wine;

1 dash of olive oil;

500g pearled spelt, or more soaked overnight.

Prepare the sauce first. Remove the skins and veins from the brains and

simmer for 20 minutes in salted water, then leave to cool. Take the sausage

meat and put it into the blender with the brains. Whiz until smooth.

*Notes: A “puls” is a porridge type of dish. Alica is either spelt or emmer,

both forms of wheat.

Answers from pg.14

1. Magistrate

2. Nova Gallica

3. Five

4. One year as a count third class and

reappointment by the Senate

5. Megalopotamia, Prasino Boura and Neophtia

Thecla Porphyrogenita- Church

History and Theology

Marcus Audens- Naval Shipping

and Organization, Military

Fortification, Geography and

Cartography

Amma Doukaina- Food and

Cooking, Women‟s Household

Roles, Spice Trade, Culinary

History, Western European Pagan-

ism/history

Ulfr the Varangian- SCA armor,

recreations, re-enactment armor,

Wants to fight in the SCA house-

hold for Byzantium Novum

(Augustaion)?

Origen Kamber– Classical religion,

Late Byzantine politics

If you need help with Byzantine

topics, please feel free to contact

our resident experts!

Cassius- Micro-nations, ancient

Byzantine artifacts and coins

Paul- Byzantine Culture, Arts,

Music, Theology

Teleri- Garb

Baduila Chalkeus- Byzantine-era

names and heraldry; Byzantium

Novum governmental structure,

administration & officers;

Byzantine military; forming local

groups within Byzantium Novum,

and recruiting

Alexius Kaspax- Byzantine and

European Military History

Everyone in Byzantium Novum has

their own special knowledge of or

interest in Byzantine history! If

you‟re willing to share your

expertise, please email us, and

we‟ll add you to the list of experts!

If you have a video of yourself

lecturing on a Byzantine topic

that we could share via our

YouTube.com page, let us know!

We‟d love to start sharing video of

the ways we all incorporate

Byzantium into our daily lives.

Would you like to submit an article

for upcoming newsletters? Please

send your submission along with

proper release forms to the Grand

Librarian.

MISSION STATEMENT

Byzantium Novum is a micro-nation dedicated

to the rebirth of Byzantine culture and

civilization which was formed to become a

small, legitimate successor state to the

Byzantine Empire. We exist as a micro-national

sovereignty project, working to bring Byzantine

civilization to life in the modern world as much

as is possible. Our goal is to establish a

physical, symbolic and administrative world

capitol of 100 acres or more, where the

Byzantine State may have a real-world

existence and coordinate Byzantine interests

around the world.

MEMBERS OF THE SENATE OF BYZANTIUM NOVUM

Marcus Cassius Julianus – President of the Senate

Baduila Chalkeus – Clerk of the Senate

Flavius Vedius Germanicus (honorary)

Paulus Urbicus Basilius (on haitus)

Priscus Psellos

Marcus Municius Audens

Matyas Puskas Belisarius

Amma Doukaina

Alexius Kaspax

IMPERIAL OFFICERS OF BYZANTIUM NOVUM

Baduila Chalkeus - Foreign Minister

Baduila Chalkeus - Grand Chancellor

Matyas - Grand Chaplain

Vacant - Grand Treasurer

Vacant - Grand Chamberlain

IMPERIAL ASSOCIATIONS OF BYZANTIUM NOVUM

Byzantium Novum Militarium -

Marcus Municius Audens, Commander

Bibliotheca Byzantia - Amma Doukaina, Grand Librarian

Culture Group - Vacant, Grand Chartulary

H a v e A Q u e s t i o n ?

A s k t h e E x p e r t s !

©1 January 2013, by Byzantium Novum, Amma Doukaina, editor. All rights

reserved. Contact the editor for reprinting rights. Newsletters will be available the first of the month, January, April, July and

October. Submissions must be turned in to the editor by the 15th of the

previous month. Submissions will be published on a space-available basis

and at the discretion of the editor. Items and articles relative to the

operation of the Byzantium Novum or the Byzantine Empire in general will

always have precedence.

The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions.

All artwork in this issue is from the editor„s private collection or in the

public domain, except where noted.