".
Archaeological Museum of Paros. The worship of Hestia was centered around the hearth, both domestic and civic. The hearth was essential for warmth, food preparation, and the completion of sacrificial offerings to deities. Hestia was often the recipient of the first offering during sacrifices, and of the first and last
libations made during feasts.
Pausanias writes that the
Eleans sacrifice first to Hestia and then to other gods.
Xenophon in
Cyropaedia wrote that
Cyrus the Great sacrificed first to Hestia, then to sovereign Zeus, and then to any other god that the
magi suggested. The accidental or negligent extinction of a domestic hearth fire represented a failure of domestic and religious care for the family; failure to maintain Hestia's public fire in her temple or shrine was a breach of duty to the broad community. A hearth fire might be deliberately, ritually extinguished at need; but its lighting should be accompanied by rituals of completion, purification, and renewal, comparable with the rituals and connotations of an
eternal flame and of
sanctuary lamps. At the level of the
polis, the hearths of Greek
colonies and their mother cities were allied and sanctified through Hestia's cult.
Athenaeus, in the
Deipnosophistae, writes that in
Naucratis the people dined in the
Prytaneion on the birthday of Hestia Prytanitis. Responsibility for Hestia's domestic cult usually fell to the leading woman of the household, although sometimes to a man. Hestia's rites at the hearths of public buildings were usually led by holders of civil office;
Dionysius of Halicarnassus testifies that the
prytaneum of a Greek state or community was sacred to Hestia, who was served by the most powerful state officials. However, evidence of her dedicant priesthood is extremely rare. Most stems from the early Roman Imperial era, when
Sparta offers several examples of women with the priestly title "Hestia";
Chalcis offers one, a daughter of the local elite. Existing civic cults to Hestia probably served as stock for the grafting of Greek
ruler-cult to the Roman emperor, the Imperial family, and Rome itself. In Athens, a small seating section at the
Theatre of Dionysus was reserved for priesthoods of "Hestia on the
Acropolis,
Livia, and
Julia", and of "Hestia Romain" ("Roman Hestia", thus "The Roman Hearth" or Vesta). At
Delos, a priest served "Hestia the Athenian
Demos" (the people or state) "and
Roma". An eminent citizen of
Carian
Stratoniceia described himself as a priest of Hestia and several other deities, as well as holding several civic offices. Hestia's political and civic functions are further evidenced by her very numerous privately funded dedications at civic sites, and the administrative rather than religious titles used by the lay-officials involved in her civic cults.
Shrines, temples and colonies of the
Parthenon, mid-fifth century BC,
British Museum Every private and public hearth was regarded as a sanctuary of the goddess, and a portion of the sacrifices, to whatever divinity they were offered, belonged to her.
Aeschines,
On the Embassy, declares that "the hearth of the Prytaneum was regarded as the common hearth of the state and a statue of Hestia was there, and in the senate-house there was an altar of the goddess." A temple at
Ephesus was dedicated to Hestia Boulaea – Hestia "of the senate", or
boule. Pausanias reports a figurative statue of Hestia in the Athenian Prytaneum, together with one of the goddess
Eirene ("Peace"). Hestia offered sanctuary from persecution to those who showed her respect and would punish those who offended her.
Diodorus Siculus writes that
Theramenes sought asylum directly from Hestia at the Council Chamber, leaping onto her hearth not to save himself, but in the hope that his slayers would demonstrate their impiety by killing him there. Very few free-standing temples were dedicated to Hestia. Pausanias mentions one in
Hermione and one in
Sparta, the latter having an altar but no image.
Xenophon's
Hellenica mentions fighting around and within
Olympia's temple of Hestia, a building separate from the city's council hall and adjoining theatre. A temple to Hestia was in
Andros. Prospective founders of city-states and colonies sought approval and guidance not only of their "mother city" (represented by Hestia) but of
Apollo, through one or another of his various oracles. He acted as consulting
archegetes (founder) at
Delphi. Among his various functions, he was patron god of colonies, architecture, constitutions and city planning. Additional
patron deities might also be persuaded to support the new settlement, but without Hestia, her sacred hearth, an
agora and prytaneum there could be no
polis.
Hymns, odes and oaths Homeric Hymn 24,
To Hestia, is an invocation of five lines, alluding to her role as an attendant to Apollo: Homeric Hymn 29,
To Hestia invokes Hestia and Hermes:
Bacchylides Ode 14b,
For Aristoteles of Larisa: Collection)|alt=Byzantine tapestry, featuring Hestia seated in the middle. There are attendants surrounding her offering her gifts. The primary colors are green, red, and black on a yellowed background.
Orphic Hymn 84 and
Pindar's 11th Nemean ode are dedicated to Hestia. In one military oath found at
Acharnai, from the Sanctuary of
Ares and
Athena Areia, dated 350–325 BC, Hestia is called, among many others, to bear witness.
Hestia tapestry The Hestia tapestry is a
Byzantine tapestry, made in Egypt during the 6th century AD. It is a late and very rare representation of the goddess, whom it identifies in
Greek as
Hestia Polyolbos; ( "Hestia full of Blessings"). Its history and symbolism are discussed in Friedlander (1945). == Genealogy ==