Similarities and Differences between Pompeii THEN and NOW
Similarities between Pompeii THEN and NOW.
• Market economy with laws of supply and demand, enabled by a well-structured legal system, infrastructure, coinage.
• Pompeii developed through a period of economic growth and development. Like the western world of today it was about to be hit by the implications of competition, cheap labour and goods from foreign competitors.
• Both Democratic
• Both Multi-cultural
• Both have a highly developed bureaucracy and legal system - which included laws as regards divorce, property ownership, inheritance, morality…
• Hooligans at the stadiums: the common man was motivated by "Panem et Circenses" (bread and circus), not to mention the races, betting and gambling.
• Fast food shops along the street
• Religion and religious tollerance - This is a generic statement, and hovers between the similarities and difference. It was relatively free to worship whoever you would wish to worship so long as you didn’t go against the state by doing so.
• Compulsory military service (depending on countries and epoch actually, most western countries have recently moved to a professional army model, much in line with ancient Rome.
Differences between Pompeii THEN and NOW
• Freedom of women, although if you compared to a 100 years ago it would have been a similarity!
• Punishment didn’t really match the crime (and it could be rather cruel too – possibly more similar to some Eastern countries)
• Slavery (but we too had slaves not so long ago and a keen eye at the varying laws regarding treatment of slaves in ancient Rome can, to a degree, assuage the polarised view we may have). Nevertheless, it’s a difference.
• Pervasive family structure of society and certainly strong social class divisions.
• Value of human life
• Technological advancement, medicine, instrumentation, weapons of mass destruction.
• There is a different average life span
• Market economy with laws of supply and demand, enabled by a well-structured legal system, infrastructure, coinage.
• Pompeii developed through a period of economic growth and development. Like the western world of today it was about to be hit by the implications of competition, cheap labour and goods from foreign competitors.
• Both Democratic
• Both Multi-cultural
• Both have a highly developed bureaucracy and legal system - which included laws as regards divorce, property ownership, inheritance, morality…
• Hooligans at the stadiums: the common man was motivated by "Panem et Circenses" (bread and circus), not to mention the races, betting and gambling.
• Fast food shops along the street
• Religion and religious tollerance - This is a generic statement, and hovers between the similarities and difference. It was relatively free to worship whoever you would wish to worship so long as you didn’t go against the state by doing so.
• Compulsory military service (depending on countries and epoch actually, most western countries have recently moved to a professional army model, much in line with ancient Rome.
Differences between Pompeii THEN and NOW
• Freedom of women, although if you compared to a 100 years ago it would have been a similarity!
• Punishment didn’t really match the crime (and it could be rather cruel too – possibly more similar to some Eastern countries)
• Slavery (but we too had slaves not so long ago and a keen eye at the varying laws regarding treatment of slaves in ancient Rome can, to a degree, assuage the polarised view we may have). Nevertheless, it’s a difference.
• Pervasive family structure of society and certainly strong social class divisions.
• Value of human life
• Technological advancement, medicine, instrumentation, weapons of mass destruction.
• There is a different average life span