Philological Dissertation on Honored, Learned, Adored, and Fruitful Virginity

Furthermore, sacred fire was first among the Chaldeans (and it was Ur fire of the Chaldeans, from whom Abraham was rescued) because it seemed a symbol, and a certain portion of the Sun, which they judged to be fire. The Sun, however, is the most ancient of the man-made gods. The Persians followed the Chaldeans, revering the Sun just as they did. If any woman had once been consecrated to him, she remained thereafter untouched by any man. We have a clear example of this in Justin, Book 10. Aspasia, whom Artaxerxes wanted to join to himself as a wife, when he saw that she was sought by his son Darius after the kingdom had already been granted to him, he placed her in charge of the Priesthood of the Sun: by which perpetual chastity from all men was commanded to her, says Justin. Aelian deals with this same Aspasia in Various History 11, c. 1. Pomponius Mela reports in On the Situation of the World, Book 3, Chapter 6, that Sena in the British sea, opposite the Osismic shores, is famous for the oracle of a Gallic Deity, whose priestesses, sanctified in perpetual Virginity, are said to be nine in number: they call them Gallicenas, and think they are endowed with singular talents, etc. I also know that in Thebes, a Virgin, most beautiful in appearance, and of the most illustrious lineage, is consecrated to Jupiter, says Strabo, Book 17. But he adds such unworthy things about this Virgin that she does not deserve to be included in the census of sacred virgins hieroparthenōn. Although Herodotus, who is to be praised a little later, does not seem to agree with Strabo. But the priestess of Diana, surnamed Triclaria,