Pompeii And Herculaneum's Social Structure

To truly understand the cities of Vesuvius one must envision the social structure, which made these cities distinct from Imperial Rome and even more peculiar to the modern mind. Life may have ceased within the cities but it was the volcanic debris of 79AD that literally froze everything in time, preserving one of ancient Rome’s most contemporary societies of its era. Contrary to the Roman capital, Pompeii and Herculaneum’s social hierarchy had the most mobility and freedom than any other society as opposed to the unyielding social structure of Rome. Likewise, these ancient cities population of 8-10 thousand was divided into three broad categories: slaves, those freed from slavery (freedmen), and freeborn citizens. According to the existing

They were the upper classes, the elites who established themselves since the beginning of Campagna contributing to the economic as well as the political activity of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Their inherent wealth enabled them to buy, sell and rent properties. Many of the landowners who had estates cultivated both vineyards and olive groves, two of the most profitable industries in Pompeii. It was due to the patricians fortune that the most extravagant and remarkable villas were ever built in Rome such as the House of Sallust and the House of the Faun where even its art epitomized extravagance and their reverent taste for both exotic and native decor. The taste for the exotic was to assert their distinct customs and ideals that isolate them from the less established and privileged society of Pompeii. Being a member of the aristocracy meant accepting the responsibility of presenting himself to the collective as they believed in the ideology that “décor is not simply a reflection of your taste; it is a way of asserting yourself and your family’s right to be part of Rome” (Shelley Hales). Without a doubt, the cities of Vesuvius exhibit the tangibility and the mobility of its social structure where immense wealth is revealed to overcome social status yet even that cannot beat nobility. However, one cannot neglect the empowerment of women and their spiritual and social emancipation proven within Eumechia a prominent Pompeian businesswoman and priestess honoured through a statue signifying her power and influence. Nevertheless, it is these astounding archaeological evidences that enable the modern mind to acknowledge Pompeii and Herculaneum’s significant social