In exciting news, Dr G recently sat down with the fabulous Dr Kate Lister from Betwixt the Sheets to talk all things Vestal Virgin. The cult of Vesta is a fascinating subject and one close to Dr G’s heart as the Vestals formed the basis of her PhD dissertation.
The six priestesses who served Vesta had a very serious role in maintaining the Romans’ proper relationship with the gods. Part of their duties included keeping watch over the sacred flame of Vesta ensuring the fire never went out. But sometimes disaster struck and the fire did go out. What happened to next? We get into all the details and some of them are less than pretty.
When Vestals weren’t busy tended the sacred hearth, they could be found presiding over or supporting sacrifices, heading out for a fun dinner party, or chilling at home – the atrium Vestae – which was very conveniently next door to their workplace, the aedes Vestae. We follow some of the silly and salacious tales connected with the Vestal Virgins and also consider what a Vestal might expect after completing their tenure as priestess.
There’s plenty of discussion of what was required to become a Vestal, how they lived, and tragically how some died.
To hear all the details, you can tune into the full episode whereever you listen to podcasts. Here’s the link to Apple and the whole episode from Spotify:
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