A Closer Look into the Roman Forum: The Vestal Virgins

A Bit of Background on the Roman Forum

This image shows a wide look at the ruins of the Roman Forum that have been excavated and are still standing today. In the distance, the Temple of Vesta can be seen where the three pillars stand.

The Roman Forum was a central space in Ancient Rome, and today, its ruins provide one of the most attractive tourism spots in the world. The Roman Forum served as a meeting place for major political activities, religious ceremonies and social meetings. It is believed that the Roman Forum became a public meeting place around the time the Republic was founded, in 500 BC, and it grew to become considered as the heart of Rome. Most of the ancient structures in the Roman Forum were destroyed around the time the Roman Empire began to fall in 410 A.D., but parts of the original forum were rediscovered by archaeologists in the 1800s. Today, the remaining ruins that were excavated are preserved for tourism and as an ancient historical landmark. The ancient Roman Forum was home to the senate house, as well as various temples that served to honor Roman Gods. One of these was the Temple of Vesta.

Who is Vesta?

Vesta, in Ancient Roman religion, was the goddess of the hearth, or fire. An ever-burning fire was essential in Ancient Rome, for it honored the goddess, provided a source of fire that was difficult to obtain in the Ancient Roman community and was believed to signify the well-being of Rome. “The fire had always to burn, otherwise, something terrible could happen to the city. That was the belief,” said Elena Van Hees, a tour guide at the Roman Forum. The fire was only extinguished and relit once each year on the Roman New Year of March 1st. If the fire went out any other time, it was believed to mean imminent disaster in Rome, and resulted in serious punishment. The duty of keeping the fire was held by six young priestesses, known as the Vestal Virgins.

Pictured here is remains of the Temple of Vesta. Inside the temple, which was originally circular in shape, the fire was kept and constantly maintained by the Vestal Virgins.

The Vestal Virgins

The Vestal Virgins were six priestesses whose sole duty was to tend the hearth of Vesta in the Roman Forum. Each Vestal Virgin was chosen between the ages of 6 to 10 years old by the Chief Priest, or Pontifex Maximus, and served for thirty years. During these years, it was absolutely mandatory that the priestesses remained virgins. The young women selected were freeborn of highly respectable parents, had to be of good health physically and mentally and both parents were to be still living. However, after being chosen as a Vestal Virgin, the women were no longer to associate with their family, leaving home and answering only to the high priest. After serving for their required thirty years, Vestal Virgins were free to be married, though few were known to do so.

Pictured above are remaining statues depicting the Vestal Virgins found in the Roman Forum. As seen in each picture, the Vestals had a very specific dress code. This included a high-status, white Roman robe and a hairstyle known as the sex crines, which was made of three to six braids. These hairstyles and clothing were usually saved only for weddings and special occasions, outside of the Vestals. Each statue depicts some of the most famous Vestals of ancient times.

Pictured here is Elena Van Hees, an excellent tour guide of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Though Van Hees is of Dutch origin, her knowledge on Rome and the Ancient Roman Forum is vast.

“They had to be perfect, free of imperfections. They were beautiful and seen like goddesses on Earth,” said Elena Van Hees.

Being a Vestal Virgin was not a chosen life but a given one which came with high perks as well as threateningly brutal consequences if their duties were not properly fulfilled.

The Duties and Practices of the Vestals

Being a Vestal Virgin was an honor but also a role filled with duty and sacrifice. The principal duty of the Vestal Virgins was to maintain the hearth which was kept in the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. The priestesses spent many hours tending to the fire and keeping a close eye on its flame, because in the rare case the fire was extinguished, the consequences were dire for both the priestess at blame and for the state of Rome.

In addition to maintaining the hearth, the Vestal Virgins had other important duties such as keeping personal chastity and fetching water from a sacred spring to bring back to the temple. Additionally, the priestesses officiated the Vestalia which was a period of public worship in June for the goddess. The Virgins also baked sacred salt cakes for rituals and sacrifices, swept and cleaned the temple, performed various sacred rituals and looked over sacred items and documents. Being a Vestal Virgin took great training and practice but was ultimately a highly respectable role.

Pictured above is a side view of what remains of the ancient Temple of Vesta, after reconstruction. Fun fact about the Temple of Vesta: men were strictly prohibited from ever entering the temple, except for the head priest.

Benefits of Being a Vestal Virgin

Though being a Vestal Virgin required laborious amounts of dedication, it also came with some substantial benefits. In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins held the highest power among women due to their great responsibility. Common people were often afraid of the Vestals, and injuring a Vestal Virgin resulted in a death sentence. Additionally, the Vestals received freedom from the rule of their fathers, a very rare opportunity in ancient times. They had the power to own property, write their own wills, give legal testimonies and even vote, all of which were not typical rights given to women at the time. The benefits do not stop there: the Vestals were treated almost like royalty, being given the best seats at the Colosseum and even the power to free condemned prisoners or slaves with a simple wave of the hand.

The Unholy Side of Things

Despite the amazing privileges for women that being a Vestal Virgin provided, it also came with some daunting threats in the case that duties were not fulfilled. The absolute worst thing a Vestal Virgin could do was to lose their chastity, or virginity. If a Vestal was accused of losing her virginity, she was sentenced to death by alive burial. The reason Vestals were buried alive was because the blood of a Vestal Virgin was not to be spilled. The women who were accused of losing their virginity, whether it was true or not, were sent to a room underground with a bed, a lamp and just enough food to live for a few days. After a few days and once the food ran out, the priestess would die “naturally” of either starvation, dehydration or suffocation.

Vestals also faced major punishment if held responsible for the fire going out. In the case that the fire lost flame under the watch of a priestess, she would be stripped and whipped and beaten by the chief priest.

Vestal Virgins were given many benefits that were truly rare for women in the time of their existence. However, it was still a highly patriarchal society, and often the Vestals faced horrible, inhumane consequences if blamed for failing at a required duty, whether it was true or not.

The Temple of Vesta and Vestal Virgins Role in the Roman Forum

In the Roman Forum, the Vestal Virgins lived in the House of Vestals, next to the Temple of Vesta where they performed their daily custodial duties. This house was considered one of the most lavish in Rome, with heating and plumbing, and allowed for the Vestals to live a rather comfortable life. The house overlooked a courtyard which has remnants that can still be seen today.

Here, the area of the House of Vestals stood in ancient times. The green area is the courtyard around which the house lined.

Though the Temple of Vesta and its remains make up only a small part of the Roman Forum ruins today, it is truly fascinating to study the cult of Vesta and the roles of the Vestal Virgins in Ancient Roman times, a time of patriarchy and extreme religious beliefs.