Rome and Pompeii

When I first decided to come on the Rome Experience, one of the factors that really helped push me to come was the scheduled class trip to Pompeii. The story of Pompeii has fascinated me for years and I was really excited to think that I would be able to actually go see the ruins of Pompeii! For me, the history of Pompeii is intriguing: a city completely covered by ash from the erupting Mt. Vesuvius. In just a matter of seconds, the city of Pompeii was completely covered by this ash which not only destroyed life, but also preserved the city as it was in 79 AD. The eruption was so powerful that the entire city was covered and hidden until it was discovered in the 16th century.

Maybe it was the type of tour we got in Pompeii, but I felt like people seemed to indulge and have more fun in Pompeii then in Rome. In Rome, we have been to monuments and buildings that celebrate various emperors or the Church. In Pompeii, we went to the baths (where there were erotic pictures), a brothel, and the interior of a home, where the room for eating and pleasure were pointed out to us. In Pompeii we got to see more of the daily lives of the average people while in Rome we spend our time studying the places that relate to the nobility and the Church. I got the impression that Rome was more of a serious city, more used for politics and religion, while Pompeii was more of a city of the people and relaxed in structure. I know that both these impressions are incorrect as I know that Rome had brothels and such of its own. Just as I know that Pompeii had its own government and temples.

To be honest I was not that impressed with either Pompeii or Rome, but for me Pompeii was more interesting. My impressions of ancient Rome are cluttered with images of tourists, cars, and illegal immigrants selling goods on the side of the street. The ancient side of Rome is only one of many and it is hard to distinguish between the ancient and the modern when walking down the streets in Rome. It is just really hard to appreciate the history of some places, such as the Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine, when you are surrounded by all this modern activity. I honestly could not concentrate on the history of these places when we were there. I got more out of studying them from a text book then actually visiting them.

As for Pompeii, I guess it is my own fault that I was not as impressed. I was expecting to see the casts of people in their final moments as we walked down the streets, like the pictures show. I didn’t realize that, for the most part, the casts and other artifacts of Pompeii were now located in an archaeological museum in Naples. All that remains in Pompeii are the ruins themselves. I kind of would have liked to have seen the museum as well as the ruins.

Rome, as a city, was probably not much that different then Pompeii in 79 AD. There were probably similar buildings and the people probably did the same things. Yet, Rome has been a living city, which means that over the years the city has adapted to changing world while Pompeii remained hidden and preserved. In other words, Pompeii is a city that is all ancient, but Rome is a city that has ancient mixed in with the modern. It was interesting going to a place where it was all ancient and a place where there is the combination of the ancient and the modern. I cannot say that I honestly prefer one over the other, but it is part of an experience that I will never forget.