Rome 2017: (4) The House Of Vestal Virgins

http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/173_House_of_the_Vestal_Virgins.html

The House of the Vestal Virgins is a cultural landscape that reveals the double standard that the Romans placed upon gender inequity. The men were known for being savage and brutal, yet they expected the women of Roman to be pure, virgins to uphold the morals and character that the men lost. The women were not viewed as equals, in fact they were considered inferior to men. However, men held them to higher standards than men themselves. The cultural landscape reflected this stratification with the placement of the House of the Vestal Virgins, right below the temple of Saturn, and the arch of virtue and fortune. The men did not have access to this house, yet they were able to look down upon it every day as an

encouragement that even if they had lost all morale, at least the women were living a life that would please the gods. The cultural landscape was beautiful with water and greenery to reflect the natural beauty of the women. They were the epitome of what a woman should have been at the time and this was reflected by the architecture of the building which they resided.