Virginity and purity : implications of the Vestals’ sexual status

Abstract

The Vestal Virgins, priestesses of Vesta, are one of the most well–documented and much–discussed colleges of priests in Rome. They have attracted wide scholarly attention both in ancient and modern times owing to their strict vow of virginity and their symbolic standing within the state religion. Narratives recording the privileges and power enjoyed by the Vestals, which set them apart from ordinary Roman women, as well as accounts of their punishment for breaking their sexual virginity are preserved in literary sources. They were ‘women of the highest rank (summo loco nata) and invested with the holiest of all priesthoods (sanctissimo sacerdotio praedita).’ (Cic. De Domo. 53.136.) [excerpt]