SAFETY FIRST
       Richard Campbell recently suggested making a policy that our swords and daggers be blunted, in the interest of safety, and I agree.  We have all seen visitors (esppecially kids!) make a grab for a weapon, and we simply should not court the danger of getting our butts sued off over a cut hand.  I'll get with the rest of the Board of Directors to write this all up formally, but for now I'll just ask that everyone take a file to whatever blades they'll be carrying in public and take off any edge.  They don't have to be flat blunt, and you don't have to round the point off, just make them so they won't cut without a lot of effort.  I know, "a weapon is supposed to be sharp", but this is for our own safety as well as the public's.  We won't worry about pila at the moment, either, except for continuing to be careful how we handle them.  Don't plant them in the ground and expect them to stay when you walk away, and do NOT lean them at an angle to prop up a shield!  That puts those lovely points right at tourist eye level!  And in general, just don't let visitors handle weapons (except other reenactors).  Thanks, and Be Safe.

EVENTS
       The Legion's "season opener" once again is Marching Through Time, a multi-period living history encampment at Marietta Mansion in Glenn Dale, MD.  This year the date is April 13-14, open to the public from 11 AM to 5 PM-- you must be there before 9 AM if you want to bring your car into camp in order to unload.  No cars will be allowed in after 9 AM.  All cars have to be out of the camp before 10 AM, and will not be permitted back until after closing on Sunday.  In any case, PLEASE try to be there by 10 AM, so that we can get armored and organized in time.  Our demonstration may be early in the day.  On Friday the usual groups of school kids coming, and I'll be there to chat them up and get the tent set up.  That runs about 10 to 2, and anyone else who is available and would like to help out is welcome.  Parking during the event is either along the road (Rt. 193) or at the Recreation Center lot (shuttle vans will be running continuously).  I'm not sure if we will have a civilian display there or not.
        Admission for the public is probably $5 for adults and $2 for students, and for more information the phone number at Marietta is 301---.
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       The Universal Soldier program at Fort Washington (MD) is on May  4-5 this year, and many of us have already sent in our registration forms.  If you didn't get a form from the fort, don't worry, you can fill one out when you get there.  The hours are 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and 10 to 3 on Sunday, but as usual please get there about an hour early if you can.  Last time they actually had us do a scheduled demo, so it isn't an entire weekend of laying around in your tunica!   But it is a reasonably relaxing event, and we always have a pilum range set up for practice and entertainment.  There is information on the Fort Washington website at http://nps.gov/fowa, and volunteer info at http://nps.gov/fowa/vip.htm .  (I don't think those need a "www", but...)

MITHRACON  From Jane Sibley
       Salvete omnes!  Here is the information on MithraCon V, The Fifth New England Conference on Mithraism, New Haven, Connecticut.
This is an informal research convention concentrating on early mythology and religion, especially Mithraism and other cults of the Roman Empire.  It is held in New Haven, CT, the home of Yale University.  We plan to spend most of Saturday in Yale's Sterling Memorial Library doing whatever research your heart desires.  After dinner (the usual pilgrimage to the New Deal Steak House), there will be informal presentations (a Carousel slide projector, projection screen, and an overhead projector will be available), as well as some darn good discussions. Sunday: visit the Dur Europa mithraeum (Yale Art Gallery; that opens at noon).  The hotel is within walking distance of the library and gallery.  A Staples (cheap Xeroxing!) and a Barnes & Noble bookstore are also close by.  We can also plan used book shopping expeditions for Sunday; there are some good dealers in the area.

Dates: Friday, April 5 - Sunday, April 7, 2002.
Hotel: the Holiday Inn at Yale (203) 777-6221.  Mention MithraCon V for the con rates.
            Rooms: $84 + tax (12% includes city/state/etc. taxes ) (2 dbl beds or 1 king); rollaway $10 extra.
            Free courtesy van from public transportation (arrange that when you reserve
your room);  including from Tweed-New Haven airport.  Free parking at hotel.
       Please reserve your room early, as the hotel fills up fast and we only have a smallish  block reserved  (10 rooms).  Rooms *must* be reserved by March 21 to get con rates; the price goes way up after that. More rooms can be added if we fill the block early and if the hotel still has space.
Con registration: $20 to February 1, $25 to March 1, $30 to March 15, and $35 thereafter.  Send reservations (and make checks out) to: Jane T. Sibley, P.O. Box 123, Haddam, CT 06438.  If you have questions, email me at jrsibley@snet.net  -- I'm the entire concom.
       Dealers: there is no dealers' room per se, but you can bring items to our function room.  Since you'll probably want to hit the library during the day instead of sitting there hoping for a customer, folks can see what you've got during the evening sessions.
       We'll hopefully have Cassius with his antiquities, Hannah with prints of her artwork, me with spice blends, catnip, etc. As usual, there is no charge for dealers to set up.
       Directions to the site: From I-95, take exit 4 (Downtown New Haven).  From I-91 S, take exit 1 (Downtown New Haven).  Proceed to the 2nd exit off the connector, and continue to the 2nd light.  Take a right onto York Street.  You will pass the traffic light at Crown St., then the one at Chapel St.  Turn left on Broadway (Au Bon Pain is on the far left corner.  Broadway becomes Whalley Ave. after 2 blocks (just at the end of the parking lot on the left); the hotel is on the left.
       [For more information, see http://www.crystal-owl.com/sibley/mithras]

FARTHER AFIELD from Daniele Sabatini
       I'm pleased to inform you that the Town of Albano Laziale, ancient Albalonga and Castra Albana, since 194 A.D. (947 a.U.c.), former Headquarter of the II Legio Parthica, charged me of studying how to plan a big meeting of all the 90+ Roman Legions from all over World, on next Summer.
       After the good success of the last Summer Gladiators games rievocation, its been decided to start up a new and bigger historical event. It is going to repeat it every Summer too, to get it like an "annual classic".
       This will be not a show, this will be at the same time a celebration and a session of experimental archeology. The main spirit of this event is to maintain the memory and tradition of Roma, by remembering the II Legio Parthica and the Roman Army, as the fundamental instrument of the great strategy of Republic and Empire, in order to achieve peace, civilization, law and world-wide prosperity.
       Our goal is to create, in a cosmopolitan atmosphere, a really exciting and touching Legions celebration, for both participants and people (about 20.000 extimated per day from outside, plus the inhabitants). Its easy expecting lumps in the throat for everybody, hearing 400+ thundering caligae on a flowers-covered and adorned via Appia among the orders roaring Centuriones, the cingula jingling, the colorful crests, the magnificent helmets, the shining loricae and the multicoloured shields, for the Honour and the Glory of Roma and all those feel to be, right now or during another life, Romans.
       It's more than a dream. On next Summer here, we plan to get:
  o A big popular week-end feast with parades of the Legions along the Albano main street via Appia with ancient music musicians groups playing (hypotethical) roman military marches (with cornicines, tubicines, tibicines, bucinatores).
  o Daily changes of the Guard of honour, with parade from the Legionary camp to the gate of the Castra II Legionis Parthicae
  o Legionary drill demonstrations
  o Marching and Battle demonstrations ( testudo, etc. )
  o Gladiators games for the amusement of the legionaries and the people
  o Forum about the status of the Roman re-enactment in the World
  o Forum about the role of the Roman Armies in the History of the last 2755 years of Mankind
  o Roman Legions military equipment, military behaviour and discipline excellence competition, awarded with Roman Legionary decorations prizes (phalerae, disks for the battle standards, etc.)
  o Symbolic re-foundation of the Legio II Parthica, the "Centaurus" Legion of Comitatenses, probably the last "real" and "traditional" Legion; founded in 194 A.D. ( 947 a.U.c. ), by Septimius Severus, the Emperor soldier, Ctesiphon conqueror, Parthians' defeater

       We extimate an attendance of about 100 to 200 legionaries (1 or 2 Centuriae, but more will be appreciated). Due to the unknown final result of the funds raising from public and private organizations, at this time, we guess to reimburse the travel costs just to about 200 registered participants.
So, the Town of Albano is going to provide for a travel costs reimbursement on a lump sum basis to any fully equipped Legionary guest, directly at the check-in in Albano. Moreover, it will provided for (military type tents free quartering and free Italian food meals). No hotel accomodation will can be provided.
       As soon as possible, the participants will be noticed about the final travel reimbursement amount and of course, before asking them for the confirmation.
       We suggest to all the European Legions to plan car or bus travelling groups and to the overseas Legions to take in consideration that, unfortunately, well can reimburse just a little part of their travel costs. In fact, any Legionary guest, officially registered and invited, will have the same travel costs reimbusement, whether he comes from Europe or Overseas.
       Possibly, we think to set the Legionary tents camp in the Amphitheatre arena with the Contubernia in military tents. We know that an Amphitheatre could not be an appropriate site for Legionaries "under hides" (subpellibus) accomodation, but can give several security and logistic advantages, moreover its in the center of the Town.
       I need as soon as possible at this e-mail address of a first feedback from you, to know how many Legionaries well invite and fix the date of the meeting. Then, youll receive by e-mail the official invitation, the event entry form, general info, guidelines, rules, F.A.Q. and deadlines. Then, in the official website of Albano youll can find any update and the list of participants entries.

a. General requirements for the registration
       1) Please, take into the right consideration that our aim is achieving the historical accuracy of the participants armamentarium and the seriousness in their general behaviour. So, please, check the quality of yours by seeing the well known samples at the websites of the best Legions or archeological resources.
       2) Of course, groups with poor quality, inaccurate, improvised, carnival looking, or movies equipment will not be admitted at the event. If your group has not a web site yet, we suggest you to do it soon, simply with your pics and a little text, so well can check the quality of the groups we could not see on the web before (of course, the best and better known groups can ignore that ).

b. Very Important for your first feedback!
       1) Please, don't forget to specify the name of your Legion, the right number of the legionaries participants, the name and the rank of each Legionary, your Legion complete address and the Legion Commanders telephone/fax/e-mail address, your website address.
       2) Please, don't forget to tell us the three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) you are free to come here on next Summer, in the months of July, August, September (our preferred) 2002 / 2755 a.U.c. .
       Your suggestion will be welcome. You can find any info about the Town of Albano (but not yet about this event) and how getting there, at:

http://www.sinergia.it/reti/albano/eng.htm

       Looking forward for your appreciated feedback. Hope to hear soon from you and see you guys in Albano on next Summer.  Best regards and Vale!

Daniele Sabatini
on behalf of the
Comune di Albano Laziale
Provincia di Roma
Department III/I Culture

NOT QUITE SO FAR...
 We have received an invitation to a Memorial Day celebration in Athens, Georgia, on Monday, May 27.  It's a bit of a hike for us in the DC area, particularly for a one-day show, so I'm not going to make it an official Legio XX event.  But if anyone from the southern provinces is interested in this, please contact Karl Enter, Memorial Park Program Specialist, at 706---.  I believe Legio XI Claudia is sending a contingent--their CO is Paul Montello.

FORUM
       T. Cornelius Rusonius notes that Museum Reproductions, listed on our Suppliers page as selling "aged" coins, will also sell them "like new" upon request.   He adds, "I found this out by commenting that I would rather have coins  that looked like they were not 2000 years old. This was AFTER I had received  my order. They explained that they make them like new, and then age them.  They offered to exchange my order for like new ones, at no additional charge. All I paid was shipping. Then after further, conversation with them, they offered to chose a realistic mix of coins for my character.  I have nine different coins, twenty-six pieces in all.  They are very knowledgeable and helpful."  (http://www.museumreproductions.co.uk/)
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       An email arrived from a vendor in Germany called Forum Traiani, selling wax tablets, pottery, glassware, papyrus, styli, mosaics, and other stuff.  It all looks great, and the prices are pretty reasonable (though the shipping may be steep for us Yanks).  Richard Campbell got a very nice and very cheap wax tablet and stylus from them.  See their site at http://www.forumtraiani.de/
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       From Richard Campbell: The American Journal of Archaeology has temporarily suspended its electronic subscriptions, with the result that the entire current issue (January 2002) is available online in .pdf at:

http://www.ajaonline.org/issues/i_toc.html

... and even better: two years' worth of back issues are also  available (full text):

http://www.ajaonline.org/shared/s_archive.html
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 Also from Richard, a couple photos from the Lupercalia party:

http://www.geocities.com/richsc53/LegioXX/lupercal.html

SURF'S UP
       This month's additions to the Best Roman Website on the Net include updates to these pages: Links, Suppliers, Schedule, Belt, Helmets, Lorica Segmentata, Kalkriese Lorica, Newstead Lorica,  Lorica Hamata (photo of my tiny mail sample), Gladius, Pugio, and Organization and Officers (pictures!).

CALENDAR
   March 2 --Monthly Workshop/Muster at Roger Moskey's, 10 to 5
   March 22-24 --"Britain AD 43" event, Lafe, Arkansas, hosted by Leg.II Augusta and Coh. III Praetoria (Not an official Legio XX event, but info is in January Adlocvtio.)
   April 6 -- Monthly Workshop/Muster at Roger Moskey's, 10 to 5
   April 13-14 --Marching Through Time, Marietta Mansion
   May 4-5 --Universal Soldier, Fort Washington, MD. (No Monthly Workshop this month)
   June 1 -- Monthly Workshop/Muster at Roger Moskey's, 10 to 5
   June 8-9 --ROMAN DAYS, Marietta Mansion
   October 26, 2002 -- Demo at Univ. of PA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia
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Directions to the monthly workshops/musters at Roger Moskey's house:

From I-495 Capital Beltway, take Exit 12 B Route 267 Toll Road West towards Dulles Airport.  After paying toll (50 cents), take the first exit--Exit 16 Route 7 Leesburg Pike West for about 11 miles.  Go past Cascades Parkway, and at the next light take a right onto PALISADES Parkway, then an immediate left onto "Triple 7" (Route 777).  Pass Calvary Temple on right, take the next right onto Regina Drive; follow it to the end and take a right onto Markwood Drive.   At stop sign take a left onto Terrie Drive (culdesac).  #304 is just to the right of the middle.  (Actually, I've been taking VA Rt. 193 Georgetown Pike from the Beltway, through Great Falls and up to Rt. 7.  Cuts off some of the Beltway, the toll, and much of awful Rt. 7.)
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       And the Plague did sweep its Hand of Death across the Empire, and there was great moaning and wailing and gnashing of teeth, and coughing, and fever, and congestion, and imbibing of Nyquil.  And the remains of the victims were piled as cordwood, and whole towns became as graveyards, and the land was laid waste.  Actually, Jane and Olivia just had bad flu for a week, but I never get enough chance to lapse into hyperbole.  It's also why this issue is a week late--a lame story, but I'm sticking to it.

ADLOCVTIO is the Official Newsletter of the Twentieth Legion, supposedly published on the Ides of each month.  I am Quintus, aka Matthew Amt, the Legion's Commander and Editor of the Newsletter, http://www.larp.com/legioxx/.  Valete!