Time and Eternity: The Vestal Virgins and the Crisis of the Third Century

summary:

References to time and eternity on third-century c.e. inscriptions commemorating the Vestal Virgins illustrate ways in which the priesthood was shaped by the structures of time and by expectations of persistent service. This traditional theme reflects contemporary emphasis on the continual performance of traditional religious rituals during an era when religious and political instability threatened eternal Rome. This paper discusses the heightened significance of the theme of time and eternity during the third century crisis focusing on the inscriptions honoring Flavia Publicia, who served in the mid-third century c.e., and Coelia Claudiana, who served in the late third century c.e.