Active learning ideas
This topic explores the social fabric of Pompeii and Herculaneum, focusing on the hierarchy that defined life in these Roman towns. Students investigate the distinct classes: the freeborn elite (ingenui), the freedmen (liberti), and the enslaved population. The study highlights the nuances of Roman social mobility, particularly how freedmen could accumulate wealth and influence despite their legal origins.
Activity 01
Set up stations with evidence from different houses: The House of the Vettii (freedmen), The House of the Faun (elite), and a small shop with living quarters. Students identify specific artifacts or architectural features that indicate the owner's social standing.
How was society structured in Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Activity 02
Students take on roles as candidates for local office (duoviri) and their supporters, including freedmen and women who cannot vote but can influence. They create 'programmata' (election slogans) based on real graffiti found in Pompeii to campaign for their candidate.
What evidence reveals the status of women in these towns?
Activity 03
Students analyze the statue and building of Eumachia. They discuss in pairs what her prominence suggests about the potential power of wealthy women in Pompeian society, despite their lack of formal political rights.
How did freedmen achieve social mobility?
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A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Slaves in Pompeii had no hope of improving their lives.
Manumission was common, and many freedmen became very wealthy and influential, such as the Vettii brothers. Using case studies of successful freedmen in collaborative investigations helps students understand the fluidity of the Roman social ladder.
Women were confined to the home and had no public role.
Evidence shows women were involved in business, religion, and even political campaigning. A gallery walk of female-related inscriptions and frescoes surfaces the active public presence of women in these towns.
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