Overview[]

Nova Roma is a hidden city in the Amazon Jungle of Brazil, South America. It was founded in 44 B.C. just after the death of Julius Caesar, and absorbed Incan refugees fleeing Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s. Its government and culture are akin to Ancient Rome.^[2]

Modern Era[]

Selene created the land of Nova Roma in Brazil, bringing outsiders to her paradise with her psychic powers and forcing them to worship her as the Dark Priestess. She led everyone to believe Nova Roma was a colony of the ancient Roman Empire until she was discovered by the New Mutants.^[3]

Later it was revealed that actually Nova Roma is a real colony of descendants of the old Roman Empire and that an unidentified agency made the citizens of Nova Roma believe that Selene created it. With time the memory of the Nova Romanii, and of Magma (Amara Aquilla), returned and they tried to repopulate their hidden city.^[4]

Krakoa Era[]

At some point one of the Krakoan seeds was planted to grow one of the Gateways in the center of Nova Roma. Magma, Boom-Boom, and Armor traveled there to rescue some Brazilian mutants who were seeking asylum. These mutants were unable to reach Krakoa because a pack of three mysterious, mutant-hunting monsters were guarding the teleportation gates to Krakoa.^[5]

Destruction[]

A scientist named Doctor Barrington orchestrated an assault on Nova Roma, unleashing a swarm of monstrous entities seeking retribution for their fallen kin. The assault left Senator Aquilla alive, subjected to excruciating torment as a creature was implanted within him, feeding off his pain until he divulged information about the mutants responsible for her "babies'" demise. Tragically, the once-thriving population of roughly 50,000 within Nova Roma has been decimated, leaving streets strewn with lifeless bodies. Despite Senator Aquilla's grim assertion and the mother of the monstrous assailants concurring that the kingdom has fallen, a glimmer of hope remains as a possibility of survivors escaping into the dense jungle exists.^[5]

• Aquilla Estate
• House of Women
• Julian Circus
• Senatorial Baths

Currently[]

• Lucius Antonius Aquilla

Formerly[]

• Amara Aquilla
• Selene Gallio

• Later, Hammer Bay, the capital of Genosha, was rebuilt by Selene as Black Roma, in reference to Nova Roma.

• When approaching Nova Roma for the first time, Danielle Moonstar exclaims, "Roberto, your mother was right! The legends spoke of an ancient city, hidden in the Andes, near the headwaters of the Amazon."^[2] This would put the location of the hidden city in Peru.^[6] However, previously Nina Da Costa mentioned that legends told of a lost city in Maderia, Brazil.^[7] This contradiction might be explained by the fact that if one examines a real world map of the Amazon the Maderia River is found to be the largest tributary of the Amazon river and is fed by several smaller headwaters that come down from the Peruvian part of the Andes mountains. It’s therefore possible that the city is supposed to be located near the Brazilian border with Peru along one of the mountain rivers that feed into the Maderia. ^[8] Strangely though an examination of the only known in universe map which features the city (from New Mutants Vol 4 issue 8^[1]) shows Nova Roma as farther to the northeast. This is most likely an error as otherwise it would place the city south of the nation of Guyana and Surinam near the part of the Madeira river which passes near the real world city of Manaus. This would be impossible though as there would be no way to really hide Nova Roma from the outside world if it was bordering a heavily populated real world city, plus the area is totally lacking in the mountains shown to be near Nova Roma, and this location would completely contradict all the previously mentioned hints at its location.