What were some negative aspects of life in Pompeii?
Life for the slaves, and for the poorest free people, was very harsh. The body of one slave girl that was found preserved in the volcanic ash was found to have been badly under-nourished. Owners of slaves could be very cruel to them if they chose to be, so being a slave was not much fun. There were brothels in the city which would be staffed by slaves, and their lives would probably not be particularly joyous either. Bathing was very popular with the Romans, and they had public baths, though I doubt the poor would have been able to afford them. Pompeii also had a large public latrine. Like most places in most of history, life could be very pleasant if you were rich or comfortably off, less pleasant if you were very poor. Another negative aspect would be a lack of effective medical treatment for many conditons, including infectious diseases. A very high infant mortality rate, and a high rate of death for women in childbirth. And if you were a criminal, you probably faced the possibility
