Another interesting juxtaposition is the Vestal virgins and the contemporary Christian Nuns. In ancient Rome, the Vestal virgins were womanly priest whose job was to protect the fire of Vesta (a holy fire). For their time, the Vestal virgins had a lot of more power than a lot of women in ancient Rome. They were the only womanly priest in Roman religion and were looked highly upon because they oversaw this holy fire and performed other rituals. They were also tasked to protect documents from great names in ancient Rome such as Marc Antony and Julius Caesar. Selection of the Vestal virgins was very strict:
Nuns in Christianity are women who have committed themselves to Christianity and religious life.  Compared to the Vestal virgins, they did not hold as much power. Nun’s primary undertakings are to pray and worship god. They like the Vestal virgins have devoted their lives to god but it seems as if the Vestal virgins held a much more prominent position that affected all the members of the ancient Roman community. However, instead of being chosen to become a womanly religious figure, a Nun voluntarily chooses to give herself to the religion.  She does however have to undergo a form of testing first known as postulancy (a form of request), afterwards she receives her religious garment known as the habit, and followed by the acceptance of the novitiate where she lives as a Nun, but without actually have taken the vows. Afterwards, she takes her vows, which leads to the religious position of a Nun.
Both the Vestal Virgins and Nuns took vows of celibacy. But, Vestal virgins were only required to be celibate for a limited number of years (at least 30) and not their entire lives (“Celibacy:: pagan religions”). They could even marry after this period of time unlike Nuns. However, a consequence for breaking celibacy as a Vestal virgin was much more rigorous than breaking it as a Christian Nun: “Once the young girls were committed to the priesthood, they would make a vow of celibacy. If they broke this vow they were punished by death. They were buried alive in a chamber with only a little bit of food and water to keep them alive for few days longer.”(Digrado)
The Vestal virgins wore all white clothing that symbolized their purity (in terms of celibacy). They worse a “Fascia (a bra), a Mamillare (a band worn around the bust), a Tunica (a chemise), a stola (a robe), a Stophium (a girdle), a Palla (a cloak), a Vitta ( a simple headband), an infula (a ceremonial headband), as well as a suffibulum ( a veil) ” ( Vestal Virgins Clothing ). One can see that this is very different from what a stereotypical Nun is thought to wear: a large black tunic and a black veil.
Comparing the Vestal virgin and a Christian Nun we can see how women played a role in each of their respective religions. They both influence(d) both of their own religions. And it is especially interesting to see how much power priestess in ancient Rome had, in a time where men were dominant in society (as paterfamilias).
	In conclusion, upon further and more deeply examining the ancient Roman culture, one can see how similar and different ancient Roman religion and Christianity are. The similarities, and especially differences in each religion, I believe, help us better understand not just each respective religious belief, but their sect in society as a whole. It is best explained with philosophical ideals: How is one able to know what is good, if they do not know what is bad? Religion will undoubtedly be around for centuries and centuries to come, and future generations will examine our contemporary religions and find qualities that have endured the ages and those that have fallen into oblivion.
