How to recreate the hairstyle of Rome's Vestal Virgins: Hairdressing archaeologist 'reverse engineers' the ancient 'do

Vestal Virgins guarded the sacred flame of Rome and their hairstyle was a symbol of their chastity

Contemporary sources identify the style, also worn by brides on their wedding day, as the most ancient of the Roman civilisation

U.S. hairdresser-cum-archaeologist recreates the style and publishes YouTube clip showing how you can do it at home



Sacred hairdo: The sine crenes hairstyle symbolised chastity and was worn by brides on their wedding day as well as the Vestal Virgins

The hairstyle of Ancient Rome's Vestal Virgins has been recreated on a modern head for the first time.

A U.S. hairdresser has painstakingly 'reverse engineered' the 'do - thought to be Rome's oldest - and shown how it may have been carried out.



The Vestal Virgins were the priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, and their sacred duty was to guard the fire in her temple, which was linked to the prosperity of Rome.

Chosen before puberty and bound by a vow of celibacy, their braided hairstyle, known as the sini crenes, was a symbol of their chastity.

Janet Stephens, a Baltimore-based hairdresser and amateur archaeologist, has unravelled the secrets of the Vestals' braids and recreated it for the first time on a modern head.

She reported her findings last Friday at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Seattle and published a YouTube video detailing showing how it was replicated.

'In ancient Rome's Temple of Vesta six virgins guarded a sacred flame,' she said. 'During their 30 years service to the goddess, the vestal virgins were constrained by strict vows of chastity.

'In exchange, they enjoyed enormous prestige and legal privilege which was denied to other Roman women. Their guardianship of Vesta's sacred flame was believed to ensure the continued existence of the Roman state and its people.

'Both brides and the Vestal Virgins wore an ancient hairstyle called the sine crenes which the Romans associated with chastity.'

Since her first inspiration after an 'accidental encounter' with an ancient bust in a Baltimore museum, Ms Stephens has devoted the past seven years to a detailed study of Roman hairdressing.

In that time she has shown how many ancient hairstyles were achieved.



But the sine crenes presented her with particular challenges since the Vestal Virgins are almost always presented wearing layered headdresses which covered much of their braids.

However, hailed as it was by contemporary sources as the oldest hairstyle among the ancient Romans, studying it gave her the opportunity to recreate what is perhaps the oldest recorded hair fashion.

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Full regalia: Hairdresser and archaeologist Janet Stephens's attemps to recreate the sine crenes were complicated by the layered headdresses worn by the Vestal Virgins, like the one shown here

How to: Ms Stephens reported her findings last Friday at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Seattle and published a YouTube video detailing showing how the sine crenes was replicated Elaborate: Ms Stephens was able to complete the full sine crenes in 35 to 40 minutes working alone with only Roman-style tools. But she believes that several slaves working together could have had it done in 10 minutes

THE VESTAL VIRGINS: POWER AND STATUS - BUT AT A PRICE

Rome's Vestal Virgins, a group of six hand-picked women, held unparalleled positions of status as some of the city's most senior religious leaders.

They had rank and a level of self-government denied to normal women and as priestesses of Vesta they were responsible for maintaining the soul of Rome.

But their power and status came at a cost. Chosen from nobly born families at a young age, Vestal Virgins had to commit to maintaining their virginity for the duration of their posts - at least 30 years. When the girls, some as young as six, were sent by their families to become Vestals they became brides of the city itself. With Rome as their guardian, any sexual relationship with a citizen was considered an act of incest which amounted to treason, a crime punishable by death.

Vesta was a powerful goddess of fire. Romans believed that as long as Vesta's sacred flame was kept burning then the city and its civilization would endure.

It was the duty of the six priestesses to tend this fire on a daily basis. If it faltered it was seen as a bad omen for Rome and its associated military campaigns.

Allowing the sacred fire to die out would lead to the Vestal responsible being taken to a darkened room by the Pontifex Maximus (chief priest) where she would be stripped and beaten.

The College of the Vestals was regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of the Roman state, and their hairstyle represented the vow of chastity they gave at their ordination.

The religious significance of Vesta's sacred flame made her priestesses a powerful and influential force in the Roman state, and they were included in nearly all major dedications and ceremonies.

The College of the Vestals was disbanded and the sacred fire extinguished in 394, by order of the Christian emperor Theodosius I.

Such was the power of their myth, the theologian Augustine felt compelled to write The City of God in response to rumours the downfall of Rome was due to disrespect shown to the old gods who had protected the city for 1,000 years. Ms Stephens had just one bust available for study which showed the braids in enough detail to 'reverse engineer' the hairstyle enough to work out how it was done. Using that bust, Ms Stephens tracked the braids back to the part of the head where each must have originated. 'It's like weaving,' she told LiveScience . 'Every weaving pattern shows its marks.' The virgins' hair was first separated into six sections and braided into separate braids, including two that ran cornrow-style across the top of the head above the ears. Hair around the hairline was wrapped around a length of cord which was tied at the nape of the neck, while any that was leftover around the face was weaved into a seventh, final braid. The first six braids were then brought around the back of the neck and tied in pairs in half-square knots, with their ends wrapped up to the front of the head and fastened to the cornrow braids. The seventh braid was finally coiled round to the back of the head and tucked beneath the knotted braids. Ms Stephens was able to complete the full hairdo in 35 to 40 minutes working alone with only Roman-style tools. But she believes that several slaves working together could have had it done in 10 minutes or less. It takes waist-length hair to properly pull off the sine crenes, Ms Stephens said. But her research indicated that there were workarounds for Vestals who suffered from hair problems.