Who were the Vestal Virgins, and what was their job? - Peta Greenfield
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-were-the-vestal-virgins-and-what-was-their-job-peta-greenfield In ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins were tasked with keeping vigil over the flame...
==========
A lone priestess walks towards an underground chamber.People line the streets to watch as she proclaims her innocence.It doesn't matter.She's already been judged and found guilty.The sentence?Live burial.The underground chamber contains a portion of bread, water, milk, and oil.She will have a lamp, a bed, and a blanket,but she won't emerge alive.At the threshold, the priestess pauses,claims her innocence one last time,then enters the chamber never to be seen again by the Roman people.The priestess is one of Rome's six Vestal Virgins,each carefully selected as children from Rome's most aristocratic families.But now with her death, there are only five,and a new priestess must be chosen.The six-year-old Licinia witnessed the spectacl...
==========
A lone priestess walks towards an underground chamber.People line the streets to watch as she proclaims her innocence.It doesn't matter.She's already been judged and found guilty.The sentence?Live burial.The underground chamber contains a portion of bread, water, milk, and oil.She will have a lamp, a bed, and a blanket,but she won't emerge alive.At the threshold, the priestess pauses,claims her innocence one last time,then enters the chamber never to be seen again by the Roman people.The priestess is one of Rome's six Vestal Virgins,each carefully selected as children from Rome's most aristocratic families.But now with her death, there are only five,and a new priestess must be chosen.The six-year-old Licinia witnessed the spectacl...
