Pompeii Art Analysis

The uncovering of Pompeii’s preserved ruins have given a glimpse into the cultural ways of the second-wave civilizations. Through documents, paintings, and sculptures we have been able to piece together a puzzle to tell a story of a time that was. However, in the mid-eighteenth century, a historical treasure had been uncovered. An entire city, standing frozen in time, has given more than a possible educated guess to the ways of life of the residents of Pompeii. Through various works of art, we have in insight into the ever-present patriarchy, differences in social status, and sexualization of women. 
 Firstly, we will look at the status women held during this time. In the portrait of “Terentius Neo and His Wife” the woman remains unnamed. In …show more content…
One could conclude that the subjects are involved in literature, possibly scholars. Although the overall “feel” of the portrait seems intimate, it is possible that the woman is Terentius Neo’s sister. 
 In the image “A Pompeii Banquet” we can observe the distinguishable difference between members of the elite class and those of the servant or slave class. The seated people appear to be dressed in the fashion of an elite Roman. In comparison, the slave depictions are dressed less appropriate for a banquet. It appears that they are dressed slightly more revealing, with their legs and arms exposed. This could potentially be so that their work is easier. The well-dressed seated figures could e perceived as guests, while the standing figures are the servants. In addition, the seated figures are depicted larger than the servants. In the foreground, you will notice a smaller figure who appears to be assisting an elite with his shoe while a slave-like figure in the middle appears to be preparing to serve the guests of the banquet.
 Whereas taverns or “bars” appear to be popular in todays culture, it can be concluded that taverns were also a part of this second-wave civilization’s leisurely …show more content…
In contrast to the image of “A Pompeii Banquet”, this image depicts the social status of the patrons similar to that of slaves. One possibility is that the elite did not frequent or participate is such activities of prostitution, or that elite participation was not public knowledge. The overall tone of the image compared to that of the elite artwork, is less vibrant. The quality is poor and is not as realistic as the other paintings. 
 Religious shrines were popular amongst households. The Roman culture did not practice monotheism, but rather worshiped many deities such as Venus, Apollo, and Jupiter. Within the imperial cult of Rome existed many temples that had been dedicated to these Greco-Roman Gods. However, to more common people existed shrines called lararia which existed in households. Whereas the temples were geared more towards showing loyalty to the empire, the household shrines protected the family. Specific households chose a certain lararia to worship. The temples and lariaria’s within homes have parallel uses, because of this it makes sense that the architecture styles are similar in nature. In a time of hardship, the family would look to their chosen lariaria.
 Furthermore, in regards to religion, existed cult-like “mystery religions” within the