Romans (Bellum Romanum)

Romans (Latin: Romani) are an ethnic group native to and citizens of the Roman Republic. They are largely based around the, specifically below the and  rivers on the peninsula. Romans near-unanimously follow Jovism as a religion, and the religion plays a large part in daily life. Romans speak Latin, the only surviving language and the parent of many languages in the region.

A small Roman diaspora exists throughout and in minor enclaves all throughout the world. During Rome's near three thousand-year history, its people have contributed greatly to the fields of philosophy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, medicine, engineering, linguistics, the social sciences, law, literature, the visual arts, music, and film. It could even be argued that the Romans have founded many of these very fields of study, science, and art.

Religion
Nearly all Romans follow Jovism, a denomination of Paganism, as the polytheistic of Rome. While modern adherents use the religion to define themselves as a people, early Romans adopted the religious practices of peoples brought under and integrated into Roman rule, such as the or.

The earliest of of Rome's religious institutions could be traced to its founders, particularly, the second , who negotiated directly with the gods. This was the foundation of the mos maiorum, "the way of the ancestors" or simply "tradition", viewed as central to Roman identity. Eventually, the religion of the Romans underwent extensive reformation in the 3rd century based on the life and teachings of Apollonius, who lived two centuries prior.

During his life, Apollonius denounced decadence and greed, healed the sick, gave to the needy, spoke as a law-giver, was condemned by Roman authorities, and upon his death, he was seen as the savior of the world, sent by the gods.

Calendar
Romans follow the well-known, international Furian calendar. The Furian calendar is a solar calendar with 12 months and normally, 365 days. Although the length of the year, month, weeks, and days are the same in every nation which uses the Furian calendar, the name of the months and days vary from culture to culture. Unlike many other cultures around the world, only Saturday is taken as a day of leisure and relaxation. The lack of a two-day weekend is made up by a large amount of holidays and festivals which the Romans observe.

Holidays
The Romans are renowned for their extraordinary amount of holidays occurring all throughout the year; during which work is prohibited. The most famous of which, Saturnalia, is held at the end of the year, in December. Many holidays are held in honor of deities such as Janus or Hera, although some may be secular, such as the Regifugium. Holidays can generally be either formal, held with family, or celebratory and merry, held in public with friends and the community.

Some holidays are held monthly, such as first day of every month, the Calends. Each Calends is sacred to Juno, the queen of the gods. The second monthly observance, the Nones, are held on the fifth day of shorter months, and on the seventh day of longer months. The third monthly holiday is the Ides, which are sacred to Jupiter. The Ides are held on the fifteenth day of longer months and the thirteenth day of shorter months.

Language
Romans speak Latin, a language belonging to the Romance language family. The modern Latin language evolved directly from Classical Latin, and has since changed very little since then for several reasons. Throughout history, and espicially following the fall of the Roman Empire, literacy, even among the poor and lower class, was a sign of Romaness. This was in clear contrast with regions of Europe north of the Great Wall, where even the nobility and rulers lacked the ability to read or write up until the fourteenth century.

Naming
Roman names are quite unique, distinguishing the Romans from other people. Roman names consist of a combination three personal and family names, conventionally referred to as the tria nomina. In order, the first name of a Roman is their given name (praenomen). Most of the time, only family and close friends may call a Roman by their given name. The second name of a Roman is their clan name (nomen); Romans are only called this name by acquaintances or colleagues. The third name of a Roman is their family name (cognomen), which is only used during formalities. Few Romans have nicknames (agnomen), which are gained through personal achievements or distinct physical characteristics. In the case of adoption, a person's original nomen would become the basis of their new agnomen, formed by adding the suffix -anus or -inus to the stem.