Hearth Goddesses of Ancient West: Hestia-Vesta

Hestia, means “hearth fire”, which is considered sacred in Ancient civilizations, is regarded as Hearth Goddess of the Greeks. Hestia Cult of Ancient Greek consists of rituals symbolizing the fire and presents the first example of holy places of Ancient West. Hestia is called Vesta in Roman religion. Vesta cult has a remarkable position for the integrity of Rome. Ancient writers emphasize that the state hearth was protected by Vesta. The name of the goddess is passed on the priesstess of the cult. Vestals are the ones who protected the Roman public and eternal hearth. Vestals were regarded as incredibly honoured in society. The privileged rights they had were the same as the ones of aristocratic and royal Roman women. The reason why these highly-honoured women were privileged was normally their sacred services. This study aims to describe the hearth cult of Ancient West in the context of Hestia and Vesta and to examine and evaluate the improvement of this description in Greek and Roman societies in the light of ancient and modern sources.