The Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome

Who were the Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome?

The Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome held a prominent role in Roman society. Wealthy families selected their daughters to serve as Vestals as an honour. Their main duty was the sacred task of maintaining the eternal flame in the Temple of Vesta.

Vestal Virgins held a high status in society. They performed many public duties. Citizens worshipped the Vestals of Rome. The priestesses took a vow of chastity during their 30 years of service. Breaking this commitment was rare and resulted in severe punishment for both parties.

Rome’s founding is part of the ancient cult of Vesta. The virgin daughter of a King gave birth to two sons, Romulus and Remus, fathered by Mars. Romulus went on to found Rome.

It survived for 1100 consecutive years of service.

You can find reference material for Vestal Virgins in paintings, illustrations, and sculptures. The images shown here show similar styles of representation.

To visually represent the Vestal Virgins in our image, we developed a list of facts to help inform the 3D artists in concept design.

There were only 6 active priestesses, each with lady’s maids, servants, and private security guards.
The women kept veiled in public.
Vestals held the power to pardon citizens accused of crime or those imprisoned.
Citizens considered the Vestals to hold healing powers.
Plebeians (commoners) often gathered in crowds to watch the priestesses in public. Guards could kill bystanders who disrupted events. If for example, they walked in the path of a Vestal or blocked a processional route. The spectacle of the Vestals in public may have looked similar to a state pageant or Royal Wedding.
The sacred fire of Vesta must never go out.

Clothing Style

The 3D team needed to design all the clothing as well. During the concept design of the 3D Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome, one of the best clothing references was the Statue of Liberty, modelled on Libertas, the Roman Goddess of Liberty.

Close up of the 3D model of a Vestal Virgin

Close up view of the Vestal Virgins outside the Vesta Temple in the Forum Ancient Rome Republic

In the image, the Vestals arrive by an open chariot outside the Temple of Vesta. They preferred to travel by Litter or Carpentum, but in this image, we preferred the Chariot as it was more open.

Lady’s maids stand by to assist them, while guards line the street, keeping the crowds of plebs under control. Some in the crowd wave palm fronds as a sign of respect – similar to the use of flowers in modern-day public pageants.

A female beggar has crawled out from the barrier on the left. She captures the attention of a Vestal who can be seen bestowing wishes on her.

Further into the background, the remaining Vestals, lady’s maids and servants are seen ascending the stairs and entering the Temple of Vesta. The eternal flame of Rome is visible inside the building.

The image has been created using content creation software (2D and 3D). Every person, building, and environmental element had to be crafted by our talented production team.

UrbȃnStock sells the imagery for a fraction of the cost of making the artwork. Please check out the stock library for licensing options and other relevant content.

The production team