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Roman priestess

60 second histories

This video covers:

A description of the life of a priestess serving in the temple of Vestal, how long she has served there and the duties she is expected to carry out

I am a priestess, one of six Vestal Virgins chosen from one of the leading families of Rome to serve in the temple of Vestal. I’ve been here since I was chosen at the age of twelve and I’ll leave once I’ve served in the temple for thirty years, it’s only then I’ll be allowed to marry. I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend, if I did I’d be buried alive. My main duty together with the other priestesses is to ensure that the sacred fire in the temple doesn’t go out. If it were to go out and it and it was my fault I’d be severely punished. We’re also responsible for making a special mixture of salt and meal from which cakes are made as offerings to the gods. We have many gods in Rome you may have heard of some of them such as Jupiter, he’s the most powerful of our gods, he can send down thunderbolts if he is angry. And then there is Juno, queen of the gods, she’s married to Jupiter and my favourite, Minerva who is the god of wisdom.
Eras: 
Roman
Topics: 
Religion
Character: 
Roman priestess
Key words: 
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