A Vestal's punishment for the loss of virginity was a terrible one. The unfortunate girl was entombed in a small underground chamber with a bed, a lamp, and food for only a few days.
Plutarch (46-120 AD) describes the procession that escorted the Vestal to her death-chamber with these words: "In Rome there is no spectacle more terrifying, and no day whose horror could compare to this!" Plutarch "Numa" 10
