Temple of Vesta

You see before you a round building with a roof in the shape of a low dome topped by a figure holding a scepter and patera (libation bowl). The building is raised on a high podium and is approached by a set of stairs that rise in front of you. Atop the steps you see the columns of the peripteros (porch surrounded by columns) and behind these the double door leading into the cella (interior. sacred room) of the temple. You recognize the building as the Temple of Vesta.

This temple housed the sacred fire of Vesta, tended by the six Vestal Virgins; the constant maintenance of the fire was thought to be crucial to the preservation of the city of Rome. The temple housed other sacred objects, including the Palladium, supposedly brought from Troy by Aeneas, which also protected the city.

The temple has a long history that goes all the way back to the legendary first king of Rome, Romulus. This temple was substantially modified under the emperor Septimius Severus in the 3rd century CE. The later building is what you see here (reconstruction courtesy of UCLA's Digital Roman Forum) and modern visitors to the Forum see today. Proceed up the stairs of the temple to learn more.