The Roman Forum and the Temple of Vesta

My expectations of the Forum were surpassed ten fold on our first day of tours. I was in constant awe. Everywhere I turned there was a new sight and structure to behold. I was most impressed by the three arches dedicated to Constantine, Septimius Severus, and Titus. What amazed me the most were their ornate detail, scale, and preservation.

The Roman Forum was ancient Rome’s civic and religious center and is the oldest part of the city. From the House of Augusta on the Palatine Hill, the scenic view of the Forum area in the valley below encompasses numerous political and religious structures including temples, churches, palaces, and houses. It was the site for triumphal processions, political meetings, speeches, legal cases, elections, criminal trials, and religious ceremonies. What began as a marshy basin became the power center of the Roman state. The geography of the Forum makes the area an easy place to defend and fortify, with the surrounding hills and the Tiber River creating natural barriers.

            After going through the Arch of Titus you run into the few fragments left of the Temple of Vesta, which honored the goddess of the hearth. Under the Republic, Vesta symbolized the heart and health of the Roman State. Within the temple there was a sacred fire, which was never to be put out. The sacred duty of caring for the fire was carried out by the six Vestal Virgins. The Pontifex Maximus, or chief priest of Rome chose a Vestal. A woman entered between the ages of 6 and 10 and served for a period of 30 years. After 30 years they could marry and have a family. If accused of losing her virginity, a vestal was buried alive in a stone tomb and given enough food and water for a few days. If the fire in the temple went out they were whipped. At times the Vestals were used as scapegoats and were sometimes punished if Rome had a crisis. The vestals were also given privileges usually reserved for men, because they were not subject to the patria potestas. They could vote, make a will, and own property. They could free condemned prisoners and slaves by touching them and if a person sentenced to death saw a vestal on the way to his execution, he was pardoned. If a person injured a vestal in any way they were put to death. Next to the Temple of Vesta at the foot of the Palatine Hill is the Atrium Vestae, or the house of the Vestal Virgins, which is now filled with gardens and foliage, like many of the run down Roman architectures seen today.

            What struck me about the Forum was the vastness of the area littered with amazing architectural feats, seen almost in its entirety by just standing in the Forum itself. It is also impressive that it has been continually reconstructed since the time of the Romans, with Christianity influencing many of the structures there today, such as the Senate House and the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

~Pat Soberg