Portraits of the Vestal Virgins, Priestesses of Ancient Rome PDF Download

Author: Molly Lindner
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0472118951
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 333

View

Book Description
Examines portraits of Rome's Vestal Virgins as artistic documents and political vehicles

Author: Ariadne Staples
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113478788X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

View

Book Description
The role of women in Roman culture and society was a paradoxical one. On the one hand they enjoyed social, material and financial independence and on the other hand they were denied basic constitutional rights. Roman history is not short of powerful female figures, such as Agrippina and Livia, yet their power stemmed from their associations with great men and was not officially recognised. Ariadne Staples' book examines how women in Rome were perceived both by themselves and by men through women's participation in Roman religion, as Roman religious ritual provided the single public arena where women played a significant formal role. From Good Goddess to Vestal Virgins argues that the ritual roles played out by women were vital in defining them sexually and that these sexually defined categories spilled over into other aspects of Roman culture, including political activity. Ariadne Staples provides an arresting and original analysis of the role of women in Roman society, which challenges traditionally held views and provokes further questions.

Author: Robin Lorsch Wildfang
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134151667
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 176

View

Book Description
Comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date, this volume offers a brand new analysis of the Vestal Virgins’ ritual function in Roman religion. Undertaking a detailed and careful analysis of ancient literary sources, Wildfang argues that the Vestals’ virginity must be understood on a variety of different levels and provides a solution to the problem of the Vestals’ peculiar legal status in ancient Rome. Addressing the one official state priesthood open to women at Rome, this volume explores and analyzes a range of topics including: the rituals enacted by priestesses (both the public rituals performed in connection with official state rites and festivals and the private rites associated only with the order itself) the division and interface between religion, state and family structure the Vestals’ participation in rights that were outside the sphere of traditional female activity. New and insightful, this investigation of one of the most important state cults in ancient Rome is an essential addition to the bookshelves of all those interested in Roman religion, history and culture.

Author: Debra May Macleod
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 1800326750
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 368

View

Book Description
When passion is punishable by death, can one priestess keep her emotions concealed and help steer the course of history? Ancient Rome is a world of power and privilege, secrets and sacred duty. The esteemed priestesses of Vesta – the Vestal Virgins – are charged with ensuring the Eternal Flame in their temple never goes out. While it burns, Rome cannot fall. They are known as the Brides of Rome. Dedicated to a thirty-year vow of chaste service, Priestess Pomponia finds herself swept up in the intrigue, violence, wars and bedroom politics of Rome’s elite – Julius Caesar, Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian and Livia – all the while guarding the secret affection she has in her heart. But when a charge of incestum – a broken vow of chastity – is made against the Vestal order, the ultimate punishment looms: death by being buried alive. Debra May Macleod skilfully recreates the world of ancient Rome with all its brutality and brilliance, all its rich history and even richer legend. A true page-turner that is as smart as it is compelling, this must-read novel brings the Vestal order to life like never before. Perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Margaret George. Praise for Brides of Rome 'A fascinating look inside the lives of the enigmatic Vestal Virgins of Rome, who tended the sacred flame of Vesta in her temple in the Forum. But they were at the heart of Roman politics as well, true 'brides of Rome' who had a ringside seat in events of Roman history, and had a hand in them as well. Macleod lets us enter their forbidden and mysterious lives in a page-turning story of the birth of the Roman empire' Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of The Confessions of Young Nero 'In an age of murderous warlords and ruthless politicians (often indistinguishable from one another) the seemingly benign Vestals could hold the balance of power. Debra May Macleod has written a fascinating mystery set within the relentlessly masculine world of Roman power politics, but seen through the lens of a unique, all-female institution. The Vestals did not just tend Rome's sacred flame. They guarded Rome's secrets' John Maddox Roberts, author of the Edgar-nominated SPQR Roman Mystery series 'Riveting... This smart repartee captivates in every way' Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Protocol 'Macleod gives readers a very rich picture of what the day-to-day life of the Vestal Virgins was like. This is very intelligent and well-researched Roman historical fiction, populated with very strong female lead characters (including a scene-stealing rendition of Livia). A fine start to a promising series' Historical Novel Society The Vesta Shadows series The Vesta Shadows trilogy spans decades, from 45 BCE to 14 CE. It follows the life of the Vestal priestess Pomponia Occia, who is inspired by the real Vestal Occia who lived during this time, serving in the Temple of Vesta for more than fifty years. Set during the tumultuous years that saw the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire under Augustus - and beyond - it dramatises some of the major historical events that occurred during her lifetime while simultaneously bringing ancient Rome to life with fast-paced, engrossing and visceral storylines played out by a striking cast of characters.

Author: Meghan J. DiLuzio
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069120232X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

View

Book Description
A Place at the Altar illuminates a previously underappreciated dimension of religion in ancient Rome: the role of priestesses in civic cult. Demonstrating that priestesses had a central place in public rituals and institutions, Meghan DiLuzio emphasizes the complex, gender-inclusive nature of Roman priesthood. In ancient Rome, priestly service was a cooperative endeavor, requiring men and women, husbands and wives, and elite Romans and slaves to work together to manage the community's relationship with its gods. Like their male colleagues, priestesses offered sacrifices on behalf of the Roman people, and prayed for the community’s well-being. As they carried out their ritual obligations, they were assisted by female cult personnel, many of them slave women. DiLuzio explores the central role of the Vestal Virgins and shows that they occupied just one type of priestly office open to women. Some priestesses, including the flaminica Dialis, the regina sacrorum, and the wives of the curial priests, served as part of priestly couples. Others, such as the priestesses of Ceres and Fortuna Muliebris, were largely autonomous. A Place at the Altar offers a fresh understanding of how the women of ancient Rome played a leading role in public cult.

Author: Augusto Fraschetti
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226260945
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260

View

Book Description
This collection of essays features important Roman women who were active in politics, theater, cultural life, and religion from the first through the fourth centuries. The contributors draw on rare documents in an attempt to reconstruct in detail the lives and accomplishments of these exceptional women, a difficult task considering that the Romans recorded very little about women. They thought it improper for a woman's virtues to be praised outside the home. Moreover, they believed that a feeble intellect, a weakness in character, and a general incompetence prevented a woman from participating in public life. Through this investigation, we encounter a number of idiosyncratic personalities. They include the vestal virgin Claudia; Cornelia, a matron; the passionate Fulvia; a mime known as "Lycoris"; the politician Livia; the martyr and writer Vibia Perpetua; a hostess named Helena Augusta; the intellectual Hypatia; and the saint Melania the Younger. Unlike their silent female counterparts, these women stood out in a culture where it was terribly difficult and odd to do so.

Author: Sarolta A. Takács
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292773579
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 221

View

Book Description
A fascinating exploration of women’s role in Roman religion that facilitates a better understanding of their importance in Rome’s cultural formation. Roman women were the procreators and nurturers of life, both in the domestic world of the family and in the larger sphere of the state. Although deterred from participating in most aspects of public life, women played an essential role in public religious ceremonies, taking part in rituals designed to ensure the fecundity and success of the agricultural cycle on which Roman society depended. Thus religion is a key area for understanding the contributions of women to Roman society and their importance beyond their homes and families. In this book, Sarolta A. Takács offers a sweeping overview of Roman women’s roles and functions in religion and, by extension, in Rome’s history and culture from the republic through the empire. She begins with the religious calendar and the various festivals in which women played a significant role. She then examines major female deities and cults, including the Sibyl, Mater Magna, Isis, and the Vestal Virgins, to show how conservative Roman society adopted and integrated Greek culture into its mythic history, artistic expressions, and religion. Takács’s discussion of the Bona Dea Festival of 62 BCE and of the Bacchantes, female worshippers of the god Bacchus or Dionysus, reveals how women could also jeopardize Rome’s existence by stepping out of their assigned roles. Takács’s examination of the provincial female flaminate and the Matres/Matronae demonstrates how women served to bind imperial Rome and its provinces into a cohesive society.

Author: Katherine Spada Basto
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733390071
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 372

View

Book Description
Cornelia Cosa is unwillingly chosen to be a Vestal Virgin for thirty years. She begins her training as a novice, learning the ancient rites and rituals to Vestal, dedicating herself to guarding Vesta's flame Set during the turbulent reign of Emperor Nero in 60 AD, when Rome worshiped many gods and goddesses, there is one group the Emperor will not abide- a group called the Jesus Followers. Led by Paul, under house arrest, Nero perceives them as a threat to Rome and begins to scapegoat those suspected as being a part of the Cult of the Nazarene. When Cornelia sneals out one night with her follow Vestal, Vibidia, to listen to Paul preach, her life will never be the same. And when the augur, Lucius befriends her, she begins to understand how superstitious the Roman people are and how much credence they give to augusires, signs and omens. Ms. Spada Basto weaves in the ancient legends and mythologies of Rome, alongside many of the festivals and rituals of the Roman people. Based on many true events, "Vestal Virgin: Chosen for Rome" follows the authentic timeline during the reign of Nerol, culminating in the Great Fire of Rome and the fate of the Apostle Paul.

Author: Lindsay J. Thompson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184

View

Book Description
This study introduces a question, somewhat disregarded or discounted in recent years, regarding the link between the Vestals and early Christian consecrated virgins. In a political interpretation of the ancient Roman virginity cult, this work demonstrates that female virginity was understood by both Christian and non-Christian Romans as a symbolic analogue of the securely intact body politic.

Author:
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198149042
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 549

View

Book Description
Plutarch's Life of Caesar deals with the best known Roman of them all, Julius Caesar, and covers virtually all of the major events of the last generation of the Republic. Pelling's volume gives a new translation of the Life, together with an introduction and commentary, while also acknowledging the literary aspects of the narrative.