Vestal Virgin Training Camp
- Mentioned In: 1.33 - Con Ares
Vesta
Roman counterpart of Hestia, Vesta was the goddess of the home, the hearth, and family. She is both the eldest and youngest of Zeus's siblings, as she was the first of Rhea's children to be devoured by Kronos and the last to be expelled from the Titan's stomach. Both Poseidon and Apollo attempted to court her, but she shunned them both, instead choosing to remain a virgin for all eternity.
Vestal Virgins
The Vestal Virgins were a state-supported priesthood in Rome. They received salaries from the public treasury, were part of all major ceremonies and dedications during the reign of Augustus, and had special reserved places at public games. They also had the ability to pardon prisoners and slaves simply by touching them, and did not need to give the customary oath before testifying in court. Unlike most women of the time, they could own property, vote, and make a will.
Being a Vestal Virgin was not something that one could just sign up for, though. In fact, the girls who entered the priesthood did not volunteer for it at all. They were chosen from a lottery of candidates, all of them between six and ten years old. When chosen, the girls were taken from their families and made into daughters of the state for the next 30 years. At their new home, the House of the Vestals, their duties included collecting water from a sacred spring, preparing food used in rituals, and caring for the temple sanctuary's sacred objects. They were also the keepers of the sacred fire that anyone who needed it for their household could take from.
Because the fire was considered a symbol of the goddess's protection over the city, allowing it to go out was a very serious offense punishable by scourging. For breaking their vows of celibacy, however, the punishment was even worse. Because the Vestal Virgins were considered daughters of the state, sexual relations with *any* citizen was seen as an act of incest. For that, the offender was buried alive with a few days' worth of food and water and simply left there to die.
