The Glamorous Lives of Ancient Rome’s Vestal Virgins

What made Rome great? Military tactics? Strong leadership? State-of-the-art weaponry? Maybe it was a fusion of all these things. Ask an Ancient Roman, however, and they might give some credit to the gods and goddesses. Vesta in particular.

The thing about goddesses is they have to be appeased if you expect to get in their good graces. What Vesta demanded was a fire constantly burning in her honor. Sounds simple enough, but then again, are things ever really simple?

Who Was Vesta?

Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and had a prominent place both in household and state worship.

Houses often had family shrines with her image; but on the state level, things were a lot grander. Vesta had her own temple on the eastern end of the Roman forum.

This was the public hearth where the fire burned continually throughout the year — minus a brief period for the Roman new year on the first of March. Letting the flame go out any other time was kinda like rolling out the red carpet for the apocalypse.

It made the goddess mad, and the city was in danger of losing her protection. So for all intents and purposes, the fate of the entire city rested in the hands of those who kept the fire burning, or the ladies known as Vestal Virgins.

Why virgins?

According to Livy, Plutarch, and Aulus Gellius, the college of vestal virgins began with the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius (715–673 B.C.).

So why did Numa decide virgins were the best candidates for the job? According to Plutarch, there were two possible reasons. It may have been because Numa considered fire to be “pure and uncorrupted” and therefore needed to be tended by someone with the same qualities.

Then again, he could have thought of fire as something unfruitful and barren, yet another quality of virgins. One thing for sure, he didn’t get the idea from the Greeks. Whenever they had fires, it was the widows who kept them burning.

Numa may have instituted the virgins in Rome, but he sure didn’t come up with the idea. The Vestal’s first residence was said to be in Alba Longa. Rhea Silvia, aka mom of Romulus and Remus, was among the virgins there.

In fact, Rhea was carrying out her Vestal duties when Mars, the god of war, swooped down and had his way with her. Obviously this was a big no-no for someone sworn to celibacy.

Of course, we know the boys were sent down the Tiber River and, as typically happens in these cases, adopted by a she-wolf. R & R were destined to become the founders of Rome. Numa took over after the death of Romulus.

A day in the life of a Vestal

Whatever their origins the virgins were an integral part of Vesta’s worship and were treated with dignity and respect.

In fact, you could say they had a superstar like status. They lived in the Atrium Vestiae — the house of the Vestals — which was a fancy fifty room, three-story building at the foot of the Palatine Hill.

Not only did the house have heated floors and indoor plumbing, but it also had a luxurious courtyard and two pools. The Atrium Vestiae was only steps away from the temple, so getting to work in the morning was a breeze.

Vestals were the most important women in Rome, aside from the emperor’s wife. And because they had such important work, they were freed from domestic distractions such as cooking and laundry. They reserved such menial tasks for slaves.

Their status was apparent in their hair and clothes as well as in their luxurious living conditions.  They had their own hairstyle known as the Seni Crines, which symbolized chastity and purity.

The style was originally one worn by Roman brides, but considering Vestals were said to be married to Vesta and the city of Rome, it was appropriate. A vestals clothing was also bride-like, consisting of white robes with accent colors.

And speaking of perks

Fab living conditions and nice clothes weren’t the only benefits of being a vestal. they could own property, write a will, vote, and transact their own affairs.

All this at a time when women’s affairs were controlled by either the father or husband. Another unique privilege was the right to give testimony during legal cases.

Even on the streets, Vestals were honored with privileges reserved for upper-class men only. Lictors carrying fasces, a bundle of rods which symbolized power, went before them.

They also had the honor of riding in a carpentum, a type of carriage. Everyone stepped aside when a Vestal was coming down the street, even Consuls. They owned their own horses, which were exempt from the compulsory drafting that average citizens had to submit to.*

On top of all this, they had the best seats in the house at the games, statues were made in their honor, and sometimes their beloved faces were even cast onto coins.

Sharing the Love

Vestals weren’t the only ones to enjoy their special status. Family members often received perks thanks to their famous kin.

The girls could act as intercessors for family members, which could come in handy if you got in a bind. On top of that, there was a prestige that came along with it.

It would be like someone today saying they were related to Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett. A Vestal in the family tree entitled relatives to bragging rights, even after her death.

Thanks to their sacred nature, ordinary people could benefit from the virgins as well. Any condemned criminal who caught the eye of a Vestal on his way to execution would be spared.

However, that didn’t mean you could go crazy wild. If you should pass under the litter upon which a Vestal was being carried you were in for sudden and even instantaneous death, criminal or not.

Vestal Wanted, Apply within

Considering the status of the Vestals, lots of women must have been applying for the job, right?

Well, positions were limited, and the requirements were pretty strict. First of all, you had to be between the ages of 6–10. Both your parents had to be living, and you had to have zero disabilities, especially those of hearing and speech.

On top of that, you couldn’t apply if your dad was a baker or a potter or anything of a common nature. The senate chose girls from elite patrician families, although later they had to branch out to equestrian families (think knights) and others among the elite.

Only six Vestals worked in the temple, with the job lasting for 30 years. The first 10 went to training, the second 10 were for working, and the final 10 for instructing the new Vestals.

Of course, we know the women tended the fire, but they had other duties as well. These included collecting water from the sacred spring, preparing food used in rituals, and caring for sacred objects in Vesta’s temple.

Vestals were involved in state ceremonies, acted as ambassadors and umpires when state affairs got heated. They even blessed new buildings. As a side job, they were charged with keeping safe sacred items, important state documents, and the wills of famous Romans such as Julius Caesar. Out of all their tasks though the most important thing — the absolute top critical item — was to remain a virgin.

So what happened if a Vestal Made a Mistake?

Let’s face it, people aren’t perfect, we all make mistakes. However, if you were a Vestal Virgin, you were held to a pretty high standard.

So, if you temporarily forgot where you put Ceasar’s will, you probably would get a good talking to. But what if the fire went out, and it was your fault? Maybe you had the night shift and you fell asleep, or you miscalculated how much wood you needed.

That’s a pretty big mistake. After all, keeping it going is the whole reason you’re there in the first place. As punishment, a woman could expect to be taken behind a curtain by the pontifex maximus, or chief priest, stripped and beaten.

Now that’s a pretty severe consequence. However, remember I told you the absolute most important thing was for a Vestal to guard her virginity at all costs? That’s because this was the unpardonable sin.

The purity of the Vestals was akin to the purity of Rome, and any slip-ups resulted in death. Unfortunately, charges of infidelity to the state weren’t always so clear cut.

In times when things didn’t go so well with Rome, say a battle was lost, the virgins became the perfect scapegoat. Then too they were hobnobbing with the upper echelons of society and could become embroiled in politics.

Piss off the wrong person and you may suddenly find yourself slapped with the charge of incestum, or breaking your vow of chastity. It was for this reason most Vestals did what they could to make friends and bolster their image of purity in the eyes of the public. This way, when fingers came pointing, none of them went in their direction.

Guilty? Enjoy a one-way trip to the afterlife

A woman accused of breaking her vow could be acquitted, but it wasn’t easy. Once the culprit was identified, she might literally need a miracle, like carrying water into the temple with a sieve, to prove her innocence.

It was unlawful for a Vestal’s blood to be spilled, but our crafty Roman friends found a way around these prohibitions. They just starved her to death. If a Vestal was found guilty of this heinous crime, she received an all-expense-paid vacation to a small underground chamber.

Here she would enjoy a cozy bed; a lamp; a small portion of bread, water, and a bowl of milk. After a solemn procession through the city, the accused was lowered into the chamber and the entrance sealed with dirt.

Hands were wiped and everyone’s conscience, for some weird reason, was as clean as a whistle. The ironic thing is the Vestal’s dead body remained buried on the perimeter of the city because she was thought to still protect it, even in the afterlife.

Yearly sacrifices were made to the site of her death since it was so darn holy. On a happy note here, evidence points to only 10 convictions of infidelity over the whole course of 1100 years.

Good Vestals get great retirement benefits

After they served their time, Vestals could remain and serve beyond the thirty years. However, they were also free to lead the life of a retired superstar.

By this point, their pockets were pretty well-padded thanks to huge monetary perks and gifts received over the years. On top of that, the girls were entitled to a nice pension from the state.

The completion of their duties meant they could marry if they wanted, and there were certainly those that did. However, change is hard after 30 years of living a luxurious life serving a goddess.

Most women found dedicating time to a mortal man less than spectacular. In fact, Plutarch says they “repented” of their decision. Women will talk, even es-Vestals, so maybe they decided it was better to keep their holy aura rather than experience the drama of married life.

All good things come to an end

Vesta and her virgins were entwined in the history of Rome until Christianity came and changed everything.

Having lots of gods and goddesses around wasn’t really fashionable anymore. By the end of the fourth century, pagan rites, rituals, traditions, and temples were coming under fire from people like Ambrose of Milan and the legislation of the Emperor Theodosius I.

It was an imperial order in the year 394 that caused the sacred flame of Vesta to be extinguished. The last Chief Vestal was a woman named Coelia Concordia. It is thought she converted to Christianity before her death.

Notes and Sources:

Why didn’t Rhea get buried alive, you ask? Well King Amulius, the guy in charge, was a little nervous about killing her. Sure, Mars might not really have been the dad — but if he was? Well, who wants to take that chance? So, to avoid pissing him off, the king just had her imprisoned.

*Consuls were men of the highest elected political office. Average citizens had to give their horses to the state whenever there was a “need”. The imperial family, high officers, and high priests were the only other exemptions.

If you’re really into hair, here is an awesome video showing a recreation of the Vestal’s very complicated hair-do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA9JYWh1r7U

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Portraits of the Vestal Virgins, Priestesses of Ancient Rome, Molly Lindner

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/Lanciani/LANARD/6*.html

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Vestales.html

https://www.througheternity.com/en/blog/history/vestal-virgins-in-ancient-rome.html

https://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/vestals.html

https://www.ancient.eu/Romulus_and_Remus/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vesta-Roman-goddess

https://feminaeromanae.org/Tacitus_Occia.htmlLessons from History