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Vestal Virgins in Ancient Rome
 Kate Greenwood
The Vestal Virgins of ancient Rome were priestesses of the goddess Vesta. These young girls, generally between the ages of six and ten, were chosen from patrician backgrounds. Any candidate also had to have living parents. They were required to dedicate thirty years of service: ten for training, ten for practice, and ten for teaching. The chosen also took a vow of chastity. The punishment for breaking this vow was harsh. In a solemn ritual the disgraced Vestal was buried alive, as it was illegal to shed a priestess' blood.
After thirty years the Vestal was free to marry if she so wished. To the Romans, marrying an ex-Vestal Virgin carried a great deal of social cache. Many chose to remain single nevertheless, perhaps due in no small measure to the privileges that went with their service.
In keeping with their exalted status, the Romans conferred upon the priestesses many perks and honors that were unheard for the average Roman woman of the time. The Vestals were allowed to manage their own property, could author a legally binding contract, and were among the few that could expect to be buried within the city walls itself. They lived in great luxury at state expense. If a condemned prisoner happened upon a Vestal Virgin en route to his execution, his life was automatically spared.
The Vestals' main responsibility was to guard the sacred flame in the temple of Vesta. This flame symbolized the Roman state itself, and the security and well-being of the Romans was dependent on the purity of the Vestals. The presence and participation of the priestesses was vital to the religious and cultural life of Roman society. They were also the keepers of vital state documentation, and in times of national emergency the power of the Senior Vestal's advice was a given.
To this day remnants of statues erected to these powerful priestesses from a grateful populace still stand. The Vestal order was consigned to the past in 394 CE, when all pagan cults were officially banned.
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