Contemporaneously began the -cultus- of the new single city-hearth--Vesta--and the kindred -cultus- of the Penates of the community.( 7) Six chaste virgins, daughters as it were of the household of the Roman people, attended to that pious service, and had to maintain the wholesome fire of the common hearth always blazing as an example( 8) and an omen to the burgesses.

This worship, half-domestic, half-public, was the most sacred of all in Rome, and it accordingly was the latest of all the heathen worships there to give way before the ban of Christianity.

The Aventine, moreover, was assigned to Diana as the representative of the Latin confederacy,( 9) but for that very reason no special Roman priesthood was appointed for her; and the community gradually became accustomed to render definite homage to numerous other deified abstractions by means of general festivals or by representative priesthoods specially destined for their service; in particular instances--such as those of the goddess of flowers (-Flora-) and of fruits (-Pomona-)--it appointed also special -flamines-, so that the number of these was at length fifteen.

But among them they carefully distinguished those three "great kindlers" (-flamines maiores-), who down to the latest times could only be taken from the ranks of the old burgesses, just as the old incorporations of the Palatine and Quirinal -Salii- always asserted precedence over all the other colleges of priests.
Thus the necessary and stated observances due to the gods of the community were entrusted once for all by the state to fixed colleges or regular ministers; and the expense of sacrifices, which was presumably not inconsiderable, was covered partly by the assignation of certain lands to particular temples, partly by the fines.( 10) It cannot be doubted that the public worship of the other Latin, and presumably also of the Sabellian, communities was essentially similar in character.

At any rate it can be shown that the Flamines, Salii, Luperci, and Vestales were institutions not special to Rome, but general among the Latins, and at least the first three colleges appear to have been formed in the kindred communities independently of the Roman model.
Lastly, as the state made arrangements for the cycle of its gods, so each burgess might make similar arrangements within his individual sphere, and might not only present sacrifices, but might also consecrate set places and ministers, to his own divinities.
Colleges of Sacred Lore There was thus enough of priesthood and of priests in Rome.