OUR TRIP TO ITALY WITH RICK STEVES
The Roman Forum was the next on our agenda. On the grounds was the actual site where Julius Caesar was immolated after his murder. We also viewed the Archus of Septimius Severus, a white marble triumphal arch dedicated in 203 AD to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, in the two campaigns against the Parthians of 194-195.
On the same grounds were statues of the Vestal Virgins, six sacred priestesses in ancient Rome tasked with maintaining the eternal flame of Vesta, symbolizing the city's safety. Chosen from noble, physically perfect girls aged 6–10, they served 30 years under a vow of chastity, enjoying immense, rare privileges like owning property and freeing prisoners, but faced death by live burial for breaking their vows.