Caparronia
Caparronia (d. 266 BCE)[1] was an ancient Roman Vestal virgin who was convicted of unchastity and later died by hanging. According to the 4th-century Christian theologian Orosius, she was put to death alongside her seducer ("corruptor") and her slaves, who were supposedly accomplices ("consciique").[2][3] Alternatively, another 4th-century Christian theologian, this one being St. Jerome, describes an unnamed Vestal Virgin, perhaps Caparronia, who hanged herself following her conviction.[4][5]
Legacy
[edit]The Caparronia crater on the asteroid Vesta is named after the Roman Vestal virgin.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ Parker 2004, p. 593.
- ↑ Orosius. Historiae ad Adversum Paganos. 4.5.9.
- ↑ Parker 2004, p. 583, note 77.
- ↑ St. Jerome. Chronological Tables. 128.4.
- ↑ Broughton 1951, p. 201.
- ↑ "VESTA – Caparronia". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on June 16, 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- Parker, Holt N (2004). "Why Were the Vestals Virgins? Or the Chastity of Women and the Safety of the Roman State". American Journal of Philology. 125 (4): 563–601. doi:10.1353/ajp.2005.0009. ISSN 1086-3168.
- Broughton, T. Robert S. (1951), The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Philological Monographs, vol. 1, New York: American Philological Association