How One Vestal Virgin May Have Helped Found Rome

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Vesta is the Roman goddess of hearth, home, and domestic life, per the World History Encyclopedia. Those who served this Roman goddess were known as the Vestal Virgins, and there were many things required of them in order to serve. As a Vestal Virgin, you obviously had to be a virgin, and this rule was the sole reason why Rhea Silvia's uncle forced her to become one. Indeed, King Amulius wanted to eliminate the possibility of any future heirs, and the sure-fire way to do that was to make sure his niece was celibate. Too bad his plan backfired in a major way.

Legend says that the god Mars didn't seem to care that Rhea Silvia was supposed to be chaste and took her virginity anyway. As a result of their coupling, she became pregnant with twins Romulus and Remus. Following their birth, she was imprisoned, and the boys were thrown into the Tiber River to kill them. Per Livy's "The History of Rome, Book 1," that plan failed when the twins washed up onshore and were rescued. Amulius' worst nightmare came true when the brothers returned to Alba Longa, overthrew him, and restored their grandfather Numitor to the throne. Romulus and Remus subsequently founded the city Rome, effectively planting the seeds for what would become the Roman Empire. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCCk3Frbm1fnby4ec6nnGaulajBoriMr6Crn5mjeq6t2Gafmq6VYrWmuM%2Bem2aemaOxbr7Oppxo