There were only six Vestal Virgins, or priestesses, to tend the sacred fire. These were chosen, by the drawing of lots, from among the daughters of the Roman aristocracy.
To be chosen was not an honor coveted by the nobility. Suetonius (70-160 AD) tells us that whenever there was a vacancy, citizens with eligible daughters did all they could to remove their names from the list of candidates - particularly since their property automatically reverted to the state. Suetonius "Augustus," 31
