JANUARY FABRICA
       The monthly workshop for January will be hosted by your Beloved Commander and his lovely wife.  We are looking at Saturday, January 3, but if there is enough clamor we can go with January 10 instead.  Preferences?  It will be at the usual time, 10 AM to 5 PM, and directions are below.
       Jane is working on several new products to sell, and is looking for volunteers.  She writes:
       "I need a few models to photograph at the January workshop.  I need an upper class Roman, a middle class/trade/craft person, and a slave.  Male or female--a combination would be best.  We can probably supply garb, but if you have it, please bring it.  You will get free copies of any item I use your face in.  I also need to take pictures of Roman food, but that maybe can wait till Lupercalia.  I would like to photograph helmets and belts and other things that differ from Matthew's, also.  I'm making stereoscopic images of armor and accessories.  I might be set up by then to do items as large as loricas, but I'm not sure.  I CAN do smaller items.  You get a free 3D image card of your stuff if I can use it (and a plastic 3D viewer for looking at it)."
       In other words, bring your toys, togas, and nice clean Roman-looking faces!

LUPERCALIA, from Richard Campbell
       Salvete!  Asellina and I are already planning Lupercalia, which we suggest for Saturday, February 21.  Open to suggestions for entertainment.  Asellina is keen on the idea of two young Lupers, dressed appropriately, but that remains to be seen.
       Richard/Aulus

EVENT?
       The Legion has been invited to participate in a military timeline event at Fort Frederick, Maryland, as part of a Boy Scout Camporee on March 26-28, 2004.   Tim Gallagher, who contacted me about this, says, "We are looking for general reenactors to do their standard program , with a special emphasis on the Medical care give to troops of your era. We would have the different units encamped and have the scout do a round robin to take a look at all of them during the day and at some point a grand parade of the Units."   Obviously we don't have anyone doing a medical impression at the moment, and it's not likely that we'd be able to do more than come up with a few surgical instruments before then.  But I'm sure they'd accept us anyway, were we so inclined.  Are we?  There'd be a much bigger audience than we'd get at Fort Washington, and I know from experience that Fort Frederick is a nice site with plenty of space, an hour and a half from the DC Beltway.  Let me know what you think!

HAMATA FINDS
       A couple weeks back I had a chance to speak with Erik D. Schmid, a noted authority on mail armor.  He had recently returned from England where he examined several pieces of Roman lorica hamata.  Fascinating things he is finding!  One of the scariest is the presence of HINGES and buckles on at least two Roman mailshirts.  Apparently the shoulder doubling was secured to the shirt at the back not by a simple line of rings, but by a pair (or more?) of straps and buckles, small iron ones.  This almost makes sense if the doubling has a substantial backing of leather or whatever, at least from the buckle-obsessed Roman point of view.  Apparently some small hinges were found with at least one hamata, too, but due to the obvious imperfectly preserved state of most mailshirts, it's hard to tell what the darn things were doing there.
       You can see the implications of all this...

RECRUIT?
       I neglected to note last month that Owen Hutchins and Jenny McGuire are expecting their first child in June.  Congratulations and best wishes!  With some clever timing, we can do the birth at Roman Days, eh?

SURF'S UP
       From Richard Campbell (who clearly doesn't have enough work to do!), Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow, by Jonathan Corum (with data concerning the capital of Assyria), http://www.style.org/unladenswallow/

NASHVILLE MOVIE TRAILER FILMING (March 27-28, 2004), from Gary Barbosa
       Now that we made our miminum requirements, registration for the event will be open until the event on the last weekend in March 2004.   However, the earlier the registration the better we are able to book the necessary rooms.  The Parks department will not let anyone camp at the site, even though we need everyone who has a suitable Roman style canvas or leather tent to bring one for us to set up a Roman camp for the spectators.   We will be paying the park for 24 hours security at the event.
       As of today we have 43 Legionaires, 36 Citizens, 16 Gladiators, 5 Senators, 5 children, 5 Centurions, and 1 Emperor registered.  "OVER 100 ROMANS."   We encourgage all of you to recurit more re-enactors or use this event to build your squads.
       Remember you can order from Deepeka direct for a 50% discount, but you would need to have:
1: Registered with us for the event.
2: Send us an E mail of what you need to order.
3: We will send the same on our letter head to Deepeeka.  We will then have our Deepeeka representative contact you for  payment.  Your items will then be shipped from Deepeka to you direct.
       Please note that all re-enactors who use our production company discount and do not attend will be billed by Deepeka for the full purchase price.  We do not welcome opportunists, as such is not honorable.
       …We will be posting a website for this event, and a map of the park and festival layout.
        …We are looking for vendors who want to sell their wares at the Nashville event.  We are not charging booth fees, but will have between 1000 and 5000 spectators there…
  Gary Barbosa, 727---

--Editor's note: Remember, the Twentieth is not attending this event as a unit, but members are certainly free to participate as individuals.  And the tent owners are welcome to take or send our tent along if they like.

ROMAN DAYS NORTHEAST, by Julie & Lawrence Brooks (La Wren's Nest)
       All Roman military, civilians, friends and vendors,
       We are pleased to announce that there will be a Roman Days Northeast to be held on Saturday, May 15th, 2004 in Woodstock, Connectucut, from 10 am to 4 pm.  We have obtained use of the very well-known Woodstock Fairgrounds and  will have access to the equestrian grounds at the fair, which allows us the  use of the equestrian rings for gladiator fights, military manuevers and  other fun stuff.  The equstrian park is very large with plenty of room for  patrons, encampments, merchants and personal camping. There is electricity  available for a very small fee for those of you who wish to rough it in their RV's or campers.
       We have a wonderul food vendor this year who will be providing period Roman food as well as some favorite foods for the kids and the less adventurous.  For those re-enactors, staff and merchants who are interested, our food vendor will also be fixing a Roman feast fit for an emperor for a very nominal fee.  More details on the food and dollar amount will be available shortly.
       This event is being sponsored by La Wren's Nest with the gracious volunteer help of The VIIII Imperial Legion Triumphalis in Worcester and the newly-formed Legion III Cyrenaica of Dudley/Webster, Mass.  We will be sending out updated e-mails as more information becomes available.  The La Wren's Nest site (http://www.lawrensnest.com/) will have a page up shortly with details.
       If you know someone who would like to receive updates, send us the e-mail address and we will add them to the list.
       Let us know if you plan to attend the event as soon as you can so we can plan accordingly.  Merchants contact us for vending information.

ROMAN MILITARY MUSTER, by Sean Richards
       Here's the latest for the Roman Military Muster:
Location: Santee, California.. just east of San Diego.
Date April 1-5, Thu - Mon.
       The web page goes up January 1, 2004.  It'll include info about hotels, transportation, shipping your gear direct to and from the site, site accomodations, meal pacakges, family tours (San Diego Zoo, Sea World..), guest lectures, and much much more.
       Salvete
       Sean Richards, Legio IX Hispana
  

NATIONAL REGISTRY OF LIVING HISTORIANS, by Bob Horner
       I didn't want to take the liberty of just posting this, but I thought I would make you aware of it so that you could decide if you would like to share the information with your group.  The National Registry of Living Historians (non profit) is now on-line at http://www.livinghistorians.org.  It is a wonderful place for reenactors, living historians, sutlers, educators, history buffs, etc.  Individuals and/or groups can join (everything in the Registry is free), and immediately begin enjoying the benefits!  The Registry enables groups to recruit, speakers to find places to give presentations and to be found, Educators to find speakers, Reenactors to find each other or groups in their area, Sutlers to advertise, Historians and Film Production Co.s to find Reenactors, etc.  Plus there are other things like an affiliate program, free banner exchange and more.  Merchants, traders,trekkers and all involved in history are welcome.  You may list yourself and/or your website worldwide, and everything there is free!
       Just thought I would share the information with you and let you decide if you would like to share it with others.
       Thanks and take care,
Bob Horner
Founder

CALENDAR
   January 3, 2004 --Monthly workshop?  At Matthew and Jane's house, Laurel, MD
   (January 10 -- Optional date for January workshop--which do you prefer?)
   February 7 -- Monthly workshop
   February 21 -- Lupercalia party!  Hosted by the Campbells.
   March 26-28 -- Boy Scout Camporee w/ historical encampments, Fort Frederick, MD
   April 17-18 -- Marching Through Time, Marietta Mansion, Glenn Dale, MD
   April? May? -- Spring Universal Soldier encampment, Fort Washington
   June 12-13 -- ROMAN DAYS
-----------------------

DIRECTIONS TO THE HOME OF MATTHEW AMT AND JANE WALKER

From the Washington Beltway, I-495/95, go North on I-95 towards Baltimore.  Take Exit 33 onto Rt. 198 East towards Laurel.  After about a mile and a half, 198 splits at a Shell station (now the street is called Gorman).  Go another block and turn left at the light at the 7-11 onto 7th Street, Rt. 216 (OR go to the next light and turn left onto 4th St.).  Go straight through the next light (which is for 198 West, Talbot St.) and take the next right onto Carroll.  Number 317 is the last house on the left before the Verizon building.
 From the North, come down I-95 to Rt. 216 towards Laurel.  Go through 2 traffic lights, then a stop sign, then a couple more blocks and left onto Carroll (just before the next light).
----------------------

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!