Vindolanda and Pompei

Vindolanda and Pompeii
You have been invited to a conference on Roman archaeology focusing on life in the Roman Empire. Using your research from the sites at Vindolanda and Pompeii, explain the similarities and differences between the two sites.
You must include aspects of everyday life and values and beliefs. You must refer to the artefacts as examples to support your response.

Introductory paragraph:
Vindolanda and Pompeii are two sites that were included in the Roman Empire. They shared a number of things in common as they both had Roman influences. Some structures were similar as were artefacts that have been found and beliefs and attitudes that they shared. However, they were also very different. Vindolanda was an auxiliary fort (located south on Hadrian's Wall) built in order to defend the borders of the rapidly growing Roman Empire against northern tribes who were referred to as possible threats. Yet Pompeii was a large, prosperous town that inhabited approximately 20, 000 people and was engulfed by Vesuvius; an active volcano.
First paragraph: (In this paragraph outline the similarities between the sites)
Both Vindolanda and Pompeii were Roman towns. They shared similar religious beliefs as they both worshiped and valued different Roman god and goddesses who were each in charge of their specific field. For Vindolanda this was demonstrated through the Altar dedicated to Jupiter of Doliche which was used to worship a 'son' of Jupiter; a god with great power. Likewise, a shrine was found in the Cassa di Vettii, Pompeii which was used for worshiping lares who are also categorized as Roman Gods. People from Vindolanda used Roman currency to purchase goods.
This is evident from a coin discovered through the excavations of the site. We know that this formed part of the
Roman currency as it depicted Faustina who was the wife of a Roman emperor; Marcus Aurelius. Likewise, the people from Pompeii used coins as a currency in order to pay for goods and services as shown by a Sestertius coin depicting Marcus Aurelius. The two sites had many related Roman influenced structural forms which played a vital role in their society. A specific case of this for both Vindolanda and Pompeii were the suburban bath houses due to the fact that they were both architecturally designed based on typical Roman bath houses. Therefore, from the available evidence it is evident that Vindolanda and Pompeii shared many similarities in terms of structures, currency and aspects of life as they were both Roman.
Second paragraph:
While there were a number of similarities between Vindolanda and Pompeii, there were also many differences between these places. Vindolanda was a military fort in Britain and predominately occupied soldiers or military related people. This is reflected in the types of artefacts and structures found at Vindolanda, such as the workshops used in order to make weapons and armour as well as gladiator glass. In contrast, Pompeii was a prosperous provincial town in southern Italy, a few hours from Rome. They used shops to trade with people within the town.
This can be seen through bakeries and butchers. The housing in Vindolanda was also very different to that in
Pompeii. In Vindolanda the majority of soldiers were housed and slept in barracks which were places back to back with little space between them and the Commanding officer had his own house. On the other hand, housing in
Pompeii was more sophisticated. They were immensely decorated with stylish paintings, frescoes and sculptures to

improve the aesthetics of the environment which is seen in the Cassa di Vettii and Viller of Mysteries. Whereas life in Vindolanda revolved around the military, the people of Pompeii had a more relaxed lifestyle. Soldiers had to constantly train and prepare for battle in case of an upcoming threat however Pompeii just lived a calmer life and as many households possessed courtyards, many trips would be made there to admire the aesthetics. Thus it is evident that Pompeii and Vindolanda, while being influenced by Roman culture, were different through the factors of lifestyle,
Concluding paragraph: (In this brief paragraph summarise the main points from your response).
The discovery of the sites at Pompeii and Vindolanda has provided archaeologists with a lot of information about both sites. It is evident that although they have many aspects in common such as currency, structural forms, and religious beliefs, there are also factors that make the two sizes very different which include

Exposition Scaffold

An exposition text is used to argue or present a point of view. Usually the exposition ahs three main parts:
1. An introductory paragraph which outlines the main argument/point of view that will be developed in the response. 2. A series of paragraphs to present each idea. A new paragraph is begun to introduce a new idea. The paragraph structure should be followed:
a. Topic Sentence: The main idea is outlined
b. Elaboration: Provide more information to expand on the main idea.
c. Example: Evidence is presented to support the idea.
d. Explanation: Explain how the example reflects the main idea.
e. Concluding Statement: Briefly summarise the main ideas in your paragraph.
3. A concluding paragraph which summarises the main ideas presented in the previous paragraphs.

Word bank to show Comparison:
Similarly

Likewise

Also

As do

Similar to

Both

Like

Word bank to show Contrast:
Although

But

However

On the other hand

Differs from

Alternatively

Yet

Whereas

Instead

In contrast

These include

Word bank to introduce examples:
For example

For instance

Such as

As shown by

Including

This is demonstrated

While, as