Vestal Virgins and Their Families

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Persistent link to this item

Statistics
View Statistics

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Title

Vestal Virgins and Their Families

Alternative title

Published Date

2015

Publisher

University of California Press

Type

Article

Abstract

This article reexamines the evidence for the relationships between the Vestal virgins and their natal kin from the second century bc to the third century ad. It suggests that the bond between these priestesses and their families remained strong throughout this period and that, as a consequence, interpretations of the Vestals’ position within Roman society that emphasize the severing of agnatic ties through their removal from patria potestas may be misguided. When placed in the broader social and legal context, the ritual “capture” of these priestesses is shown to be a necessary feature of their priestly identity, which only marked the Vestals as extraordinary because of the unique intersection of religious and gender categories that characterized their office. Finally, the implications of these findings for the interpretation of Vestal virginity are discussed

Keywords

Description

Related to

Replaces

License

Series/Report Number

Funding information

Isbn identifier

Doi identifier

10.1525/CA.2015.34.1.74

Previously Published Citation

Classical Antiquity 34.1 (2015)

Other identifiers

Suggested citation

Gallia, Andrew. (2015). Vestal Virgins and Their Families. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, 10.1525/CA.2015.34.1.74.

Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.