Ancient Rome vs Ancient Pompeii

I have been in Rome around seven weeks and in this time span I have seen so much history and learned about so much history that it is ridiculous. Before coming here I learned about some of the history in Rome and Pompeii throughout elementary and high school, but none of it compares to being-to-face with the history and being taught about it from the best experts. I will be honest and say that I have never found much of history to be interesting to me, but with it right in my face it is hard for me to ignore it and not get interested.

Ancient Rome seems to be pretty unbeatable when it comes to interest in history. I mean there is so much about ancient Rome that everyone can relate to at least one thing and become interested. My impression of ancient Rome was that it used to be the most powerful empire and had everything going for it. There were different social classes that separated the rich from the poor and the most important to the less important. The rich tended to flaunt their money by having homes with extreme art and architecture. Rome has had a couple of different emperors and all of them played a part into making ancient Rome into the powerful city that it used to be. However, the play of Christianity, self-indulgence, economic troubles, military problems and a few other minor problems caused this great city to fall.

After learning about ancient Rome and then going to see Pompeii, its history and old ruins I must say I was more impressed by Pompeii. Pompeii was very progressive in its time before the volcano erupted and put a stop to its progress. It had running water, a thriving market place, and amphitheater, public baths, sidewalks, cobblestone streets, private shops and a structured government. Since it was located right next to the water it allowed them to bring in goods from exotic places to trade with ancient Roman cities and within its own city. Pompeii had basically the same social statuses when it came to the rich and the poor in the city. Also like the ancient Romans the rich were not afraid to flaunt their money .With the information I have gathered about ancient Pompeii I am wondering if this city would still be thriving if it wouldn’t have been for the volcano, or would have it fallen exactly like Rome?

The parts that I am mostly impressed with and take the most interest in about these two ancient cities is the art, and in my opinion I am more dazzled by the things I saw in Pompeii. Yes, I think that Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s paintings, sculptures and architect are amazing but the mosaics and frescos I saw in Pompeii really hit the wow factor for me. It may have been the simplicity of the ancient art in Pompeii that got to me. To me their art was so simple but yet so pure and beautiful. Whereas all of the ancient Roman art I have seen has so much detail and in my opinion sometimes is overdone.