Customer Reviews

Rome's Vestal Virgins

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This is perhaps the most in-depth study written on Rome's state institution of the cult of the Vestals. The author devoted three years of study, compiled primary sources, and made research trips to Rome to present a new and comprehensive view of the function of the Vestals of ancient Rome. All aspects of Vestal life are covered - from selection and initiation to areas of Roman civic life which were not normally the purview of women. An outstanding reference source.

A first-rate monograph! Wildfang expounds on the variety of the Vestals' daily life, from its minutiae to the grand public appearances. She brings the ritual, which includes everyday tasks to the coiffure and costume, in exquisite form to the reader. She discusses their interaction with the higher and lower Roman administration and Rome's cultural aspects. She helps to clarify the Roman festival calendar as it regards the Vestals, something I wish more monographs on Rome would do. A rewarding read for anyone interested in ancient Rome and also in women's history.