Vesta, the stove and family goddess in Roman mythology, is one of the twelve main Roman gods. It corresponds to Hestia in Greek mythology. In her temple, there was a sacred flame that could never be extinguished, and six virgin priests took turns guarding to protect the flame from extinction. Legend has it that as long as the flame of Vesta did not extinguish, Rome could maintain good weather.

responsibility
In addition to being ill, the virgins guarding the sacred fire cannot leave the Temple of Vesta Temple in the southeast of the Roman Guild where they live. Every virgin is on duty for at least 8 hours every day, mainly responsible for keeping the sacred fire in the temple alive. They also have other responsibilities such as going to the holy spring to fetch water to pray for the public and cooking sacrificial offerings for ritual purposes; In terms of justice, Vestal Virgin also has:
Testamentary capacity
"But Numa gave them great privileges, such as the right to make a will while their father was alive." In the eyes of later generations of jurists, this provision has been expanded to leave the patriarchy. Theoretically, Vestal Virgin has more rights than making a will. Gaius and Ulpian mentioned this provision in their respective works. In contrast to Vestal Virgin, ordinary women are under the patriarchy, and their father has no ability to make a will during his lifetime.

Exemption from guardianship
Numa granted them great privileges... and the right to handle and manage other affairs without the need for protection, like a mother of three children The corresponding word of "protector" in this English version is guardian or tutor, which is generally translated as guardian. This paragraph should mean that Vestal Virgin is exempt from guardianship. Article 1 of the fifth table of the Twelve Tables Law stipulates: "Even if women reach the Marriageable age, they are also under guardianship, except for Vestal Virgin." Gaius, in G, I, 145 states: "Therefore, if a person establishes guardians for their son and daughter through a will, when the son no longer has guardians, and the daughter is still under guardianship. However, women can only be released from guardianship based on the rights obtained by giving birth to children under the Ulysses and the Babies and Popes. What we are saying does not apply to the priests of Vesta, and the ancients also hoped that these women holding priestly positions would be free; The Twelve Tables Law also stipulates this Gaius recounted the contents of the "Lex Papia Poppaea nuptialis" (translated by Mr. Zhou Gui as Papia Poppaea nuptialis) in G. III, 42 to 52, explaining that women born from someone must have three children, and those who liberate themselves must have four children before they can be released from custody, which is consistent with Plutarch's records. Ulpian has the same explanation in the Ruleset. These records show that Vestal Virgin is different from ordinary women in terms of guardianship: Vestal Virgin is certainly not under guardianship, while ordinary women must complete certain reproductive obligations in order to exchange for this freedom. In combination with the provisions of family paternity and guardianship, Vestal Virgin is not only more free than ordinary women, but even more free than men who are family children, because they are neither under guardianship nor under family paternity.
It is generally believed that Augustus took a measure to encourage women to get rid of guardianship because of having children in his law (i.e. the Barbie and Popeye Law) to encourage fertility. However, Plutarch's records put this practice back to the early days of the monarchy. I was worried that the Chinese translation issue would lead to this misunderstanding, but from the English translation I searched for, the author described this regulation in the past tense and the content of the regulation did not differ from the Chinese translation. Therefore, the translation should not have too much problem. Then, at least from the literature of Plutarch, we can speculate that there is at least the possibility that such measures to encourage fertility have been determined by the royal law at the latest during the Numa administration period, and the Barbie and Popeye Law of the Augustus period reaffirmed this provision in the form of a statutory law

Having Heir apparent
Cicero quoted Manilius in On the Republic, pointing out that the Wakonius law stipulates that Vestal Virgin can have Heir apparent while other women can't.
Qualification to testify
In addition, Vestal Virgin also has the qualification to testify, but this qualification is not always there. In the early Republic of China, Vestal Virgin's testimony was only a special case produced by the people's reverence. Later, in the long history of evolution, Vestal Virgin's testimony was slowly customized because of its chastity and dignity. Section 4 of Plutarch's Publicola Biography wrote: "Tarquini is a holy virgin in the Temple of Westay, who has been greatly respected for her dedication to the land. One of the points is that among all women, only her testimony is accepted by people." This paragraph shows that Tarquini's virgin testimony is an extremely rare exception. When Tacitus was recording the life of Caesar, Lucius Peso accused Urgulania and Urgulania refused to testify, He wrote this sentence: "But according to the official regulations, even the Virgin Vesta should come to Rome Square and the court in person when testifying during interrogation." (Tacitus, Chronicles, Volume II, Section 34.) It can be seen that the testimony of the Virgin Vestal Virgin has become a routine of the law at this time.
In guardianship, what a guardian can do, that is, what a woman cannot do, is actually examined by examining the legal status of a woman. According to Ulpian's Rules, Mr. Zhou Gui summarized five things that women cannot do without the consent of their guardians: being a party to a legal proceeding; Conduct that is detrimental to one's own interests; Transfer of property through transfer; The conclusion of a "married marriage" or a "non married marriage" cannot become a "married marriage" due to the completion of the statute of limitations; Make a will. After checking the English version of Ulpian's Rules, his conclusion comes from the eleventh question, section 27, which is well founded. Women cannot have the qualification to testify without litigants.

constraint
The virgin who guards the sacred flame also has strict discipline, and if she makes a mistake, she will face terrifying punishment. If they neglect their duties, they will be severely punished by the chief priest, using whipping to punish the virgins who let the flame go out and guarding it. Those who are unfaithful will be buried alive. The latter indicates that the Romans believed that virgins who guarded the Holy Flame must be pure, which was a guarantee and symbol of Rome's own well-being.
Punishment
In 471 BC, a virgin named Ebinia, who guarded the sacred fire of the Vesta goddess Vesta Temple, was tried. A slave accused her of violating her vow of chastity, pointing out that she was no longer perfect at the time of the sacrament, and therefore she was required to defend. According to the records of the Greek writer Zenrutak, two men who were accused along with her, one of whom was executed after being beaten, had even greater misfortune waiting for Ebinia
She was found guilty and, after being punished with a cane, was pushed through the quiet and eerie streets of Rome to a wilderness by the gates of Colin City, where she was imprisoned in a pit in a tomb, leaving only 30 days of food for her to sit and die.

Temple of Vesta in Rome
The only existing temple in Vesta is the Temple of Vesta in Rome, Italy. It is located in Roman Forum, between Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Caesar, Regia and the House of the Vestals. The temple has some important architectural features. It imitates the earliest houses in Rome, a circular thatched hut made of soil and straw. Since the worship of the Kitchen God began in private houses, this building reflects ancient history. The remaining temples adopt the Corinthian order, marble and central inner hall of Ancient Greek architecture. The inner hall is surrounded by 20 Corinthian columns and built on a platform with a diameter of 15 meters. The roof has a ventilation opening, making it a necessary task to take care of the sacred fire of the Kitchen God. There is also a circular outer wall on the outside, with more columns.
Historical development
All the Temple of Vesta temples in Rome are round, with the entrance facing the east, symbolizing the connection between the fire of the Kitchen God and the sun as the source of life. The Temple of Vesta represents the site of ancient pagan activities as far back as the 7th century BC. It is generally believed that this temple was built by Luma Pompelius, together with Regia and the House of the Vestals.
The Temple of Vesta Temple in Roman Forum was built in the 3rd century BC. It is not a real temple, because it has never held a Opening ceremony, nor a statue of Kitchen God, only her holy fire and the statue of Athena, which is believed to have been brought from Troy by Aeneas. According to Halikanassus of Dionysius, the Romans believed that the sacred fire of the Kitchen God was closely related to the fate of cities and used it as a precursor to disasters.
reconstruction
Although there is a flame in the temple, there is no danger of fire because the flame is placed in the fireplace and there are virgins in the temple closely watching over it. Temple of Vesta was burned down twice in history. In 64 AD, during the reign of Nero, a fire destroyed most of Rome, including the Temple of Vesta Temple. After the fire, in 191, Septimius Severus's wife Julia Domna rebuilt the temple. In 394, Theodosius I extinguished the flame after winning the battle of Frigidus and defeating Eugenius and Apogast. Since then, this temple has been looted and its marble was stripped in the 16th century. The existing part was rebuilt during Mussolini's dictatorship in the 1930s.