Imperial Rome, past glory
The Atrium Vestae was a complex consisting of the Temple of Vesta (the three columns in the background is all that remains) and the house where the Vestal Virgins lived, a feminine body of priests chosen among children from patrician families between six and ten years old. They enjoyed many privileges but were required to stay in the order for thirty years; those who broke their vows were buried alive.
Photo by Ludo Kuipers, Wed Nov 02, 1994