The Atrium Vestae was begun by Domitian and completed by Trajan about AD 113. The statues pictured above all were found in a pile, and their original arrangement or even whether they have been placed on the correct pedestal is not known.
There were six Vestals (sacerdotes vestales), who were between six and ten years of age when they were appointed by the emperor, in his role as chief priest (Pontifex Maximus), to serve for thirty years, learning, according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the sacred rites during the first ten years, performing them during the second ten, and teaching them during the last ten. During this time, the Vestals were to remain chaste, tend the eternal flame, safeguard the sacred objects within the Temple of Vesta, and prepare the grain mixed with salt for sacrifice. In return, they enjoyed privileges denied other women. At the end of service, they were released from their vows and free to marry, although few did so. They could own property, and injury to them was punishable by death. When they went out to participate in sacrifices and ceremonies, they were transported in a carpentum, a covered two-wheeled carriage, preceded by a lictor, and had the right-of-way. A condemned man, if met on the way, could be pardoned. A Vestal who lost her virginity was thought to jeopardize Rome, itself, and a priestess who did not remain chaste was subject to terrible penalties.
This view from the Palatine Hill give a better view of the house of the Vestals than from the gate below.
