AUTHOR'S NOTE
T
he House and Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum was excavated in 1883. For the purposes of this novel, the date of discovery has been moved to 1881 and the character of Lord Bastian Satyr is credited as the archaeologist in charge of the dig.
Roman philosophers inform us that the Vestal Virgins numbered six in all. They came to the temple as girls between the ages of six and ten, to serve Vesta for thirty years, after which they could marry. (There were no Vestal Companions.)
The Vestals' first ten years were devoted to learning, the next ten with service to the goddess, and their final decade with indoctrinating new initiates to replace them. They lived lives of confinement and privilege, and were greatly revered.
However, in times of famine or defeat in war, they were sometimes used as scapegoats. Any transgression on the part of a Vestal was harshly punished. If the fire went out on her watch, Pontifex might strip her naked and flog her in a private chamber for this sin.
It was believed that the Virgins' chastity insured the good health of all of Rome. Among the Vestals, the penalty for fornication was death. Amid great sorrowful pomp and ceremony by ancient Roman religious leaders and citizens, a convicted Virgin would be taken on a litter to a small underground room hollowed out for her in the Campus Sceleratusâthe “Evil Field”ânear the Colline Gate. There, she was essentially buried aliveâleft to die in solitude with only enough food, water, and lamp oil to last a few days.
The Virgins were specifically charged with another matter of utmost importance. They had under their jurisdiction the care and protection of a collection of mysterious relics, which were also believed to protect Rome. When Vesta's temple was destroyed during the purging of all pagan religions in the fourth century
A.D.
, these relics disappeared. No one knows exactly what they were. They have never been found.
APHRODISIA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2011 by Elizabeth Amber
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Aphrodisia and the A logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-4130-6