Sacred fire of Vesta

The Sacred fire of Vesta (Vesta was the goddess of the hearth) is a symbol of the hearth and in the home. The Vestal Virgins primarily maintained the "Sacred fire". Every March 1, the Sacred fire of Vesta was renewed. The Sacred fire of Vesta, in her primary temple, had a tight link between the diety and city's wellness that disreguard of the temple's fire was punishable by death. The temple did catch fire from the Sacred flame by the magnitude of the fire, ocassionally. Within Vesta's temple at Rome, the Sacred fire of the Roman state burned. It was located on Aventine Hill (Tempio della Fortuna Virile) and existed till 394.

Analysis

Speculations has been made that the Sacred fire of Vesta may have represented an electrical plasma. Nikola Tesla, in the article "A fairy tale of electricity" (published September 9, 1915), stated in regards to the Sacred fire of Vesta: "The records, though scanty, are of a nature to fill us with conviction that a few initiated, at least, had a deeper knowledge of amber phenomena. [...] It is very plausible to assume that [...] vestal fires of the Romans were electrical." [1]

See also: Ark of the Covenant