Vesta (mythology)
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Vesta is the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman religion. She was rarely depicted in human form, and was more often represented by the fire of her temple in the Forum Romanum. Ent
Rare depiction of Vesta in human form, as the central figure from the Lararium of a bakery at Pompeii, 1st century
Coin issued under Nero: the reverse depicts the cult statue of Vesta, holding a patera and scepter, within her hexastyle temple.
Denarius of 60 BC; veiled and draped Vesta on the left, with a lamp next to her.
Temple of Vesta in a 2009 photo
Rhea Silvia
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Rhea Silvia, also known as Ilia, was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome. Rhea was a Vestal Virgin who became pregnant with the twins after being impregnat
Statue in the Fonte Gaia
Symbolic representation of the Rhea Silvia myth on a sarcophagus in the Palazzo Mattei. Most of the elements of the story can be found in the scene. The central figure, Mars, strides over Rhea Silvia being put to sleep by Somnus pouring the juice of sleep on her from a horn. The wolf, the personification of the river, the temple of Vesta, are all present.
Rhea Silvia portrayed on a sarcophagus
She-wolf (lupa) in Fonte Gaia, 14th century