The necklace of Rhea Silvia is one of the fantastical elements of the ancient world. The Sibylline Chronicles is actively incorporating provocative relics from the ancient world – many of which disappeared between 391 and 415 c.e.
The Necklace is actually wonderfully mythological and full of mystery. It hung around the neck of her statue in the Temple of Vesta for 1,200 years. Rhea Silvia was one of the original Vestal Virgins and considered the Mother of Gods.
So, Where is the Necklace of Rhea Silvia Now?
That it went untouched through coups, wars, political and religious upheaval and the chaos that was twelve centuries is remarkable. It speaks deeply to the reverence (or fear) Romans had for the Vestals and the consequences of defiling their holy site. It also informs us today of the possibility that we do not fully understand the role of women. In particular women whose role was to safeguard relics of the ancients in fourth-century Roman society.
The lore surrounding the necklace is that Rhea Silvia wore it on the day that her uncle Amulius forced her to become a priestess of Vesta. In its amulet, surrounded by the sacred ouroboros, is a stone that carries the blood of the Mother of Gods.
There is a single story of its existence. Serena, the wife of Roman General Stilicho, attempted to take the necklace from Rhea Silvia’s marble likeness. Amazingly, it is the only historical record.
Stilicho directly ties in to the existing historical record of the Sibylline. The General is said to have disposed of the purported original Sibylline Books in 408 c.e. The Emperor put him to death not long after.
Ooooooo, a Sibylline Tie-in
Their stories, along with the stories of the Vestals, are caught up in provocative ways with the limited history of the Sibylline. Also possibly as well as the life of Hypatia.
The Sibylline Chronicles weaves in the necklace as a storytelling tool to link those histories.
My oldest daughter is working together with me to envision what elements such as this look like (there is no historical record of the design of the necklace and archeologists have never found it.)
Here are a few of her early concepts.
2023 Update: Since I began working with these artifacts, they have definitely morphed and changed. The necklace, however, remains an interesting element that is bound to show up in the novels. I still cherish the drawings my daughter did. They hang on my wall.
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