Bronze As of Caligula, Rome - Latium (37-38 CE)
Vesta represents the traditional Roman values of home, hearth, and family. When Caligula came to power after the death of Tiberius, he asserted his “Romanness” by associating his female relatives with Vesta and giving them honorary privileges of the Vestal Virgins. This was especially tactical given that Tiberius’ reign ended in paranoia and brutality; Caligula endeared himself to the Roman people initially by recalling good Roman values. He was also following Augustan practices of associating imperial women such as Livia and Octavia with Vesta. The goddess and her cult represents the purity of Roman women and their service to the state, so in this way Caligula co-opts Vesta into supporting his new regime. The Roman state depended on the chastity and devotion of the Vestal Virgins, and thus by adopting them into his rule and into his family, Caligula ensured a smooth transfer of power.