Hall of Fame

Rome, Unknown-394 CE

Women with incredible influence

Pure As snow

If you saw a Vestal Virgin out and about, they would always be dressed in white as a sign of their purity. Chosen when they were between the ages of six and ten, the girls would be sworn to celibacy for their 30-year stint, with severe punishments if they broke their sacred vows – they were married to Rome, and any dalliances with citizens was considered incest, which was punishable by death.

the eternal flame

The most important duty of a Vestal Virgin was to ensure that the fire in the temple never went out – if it did, Rome would fall. With six girls and women serving at a time, they took shifts to watch over it and if the flame was extinguished, whoever was on duty would be stripped and scourged by the pontifex maximus, who was usually the emperor.

dress to impress

A stola formed the main undergarment for the Vestal Virgins, but over the top of this they wore a stophium made of white linen. On many occasions they also wore a cloak, or palla. These had to be very simple as they had to display themselves with the utmost decorum.

the braiding bunch

The Vestal Virgins often wore their hair in complicated braids. With the hair divided into sections, six plaits would be made in each, which would then be wound intricately together around the head. With two or more slaves doing the work, this would have taken about ten minutes each day, although it could take over half an hour with only one.

A woollen symbol

The vitta was a headband worn by many Roman women, but the Virgins’ ones were made of wool to show their higher position in society. However, should a Vestal Virgin be punished for breaking the rules, it would be the first thing they would be stripped of. The ceremonial version of this was called an infula. The veil they sometimes wore was called a suffibulum.

A sacrificial ladle

In sacrifices or other religious ceremonies, a simpulum was often used to draw wine or oil from deep containers like amphorae, hence its long handle. These tools were often made of bronze, and their decoration could be anything between incredibly plain and beautifully ornate.

stepping out

Vestal Virgins, like the rest of the Romans, typically wore one of three types of shoe: solea or calceus, which were the most common, or the mitten sandal. However, there was one distinct difference in that the Virgins’ shoes were white and made from the skins of animals that had been sacrificed.