New DNA evidence overturns what we thought we knew about Pompeii victims

When a volcanic eruption buried the Roman city of Pompeii about 2,000 years ago, a thick layer of volcanic ash covered the bodies, preserving their form.

The bodies, later immortalized in plaster casts, inspired narratives about the identity of the victims: a mother holding her child, for example, and two sisters embracing in their final moments.

New DNA evidence has overturned some assumptions about the identities, lives and relationships of ancient people. For example, a group of four long-dead Pompeians (once thought to be their parents and children) turned out to have no biological ties to each other.

A team of archaeologists and geneticists from the University of Florence in Italy, Harvard University, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany has managed to determine the gender and genetic ancestors of five people who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. .

Findings published this week magazine Current BiologyIt was based on DNA taken from the remains of Pompeians, preserved in the 1800s with molds made by filling the gaps left by the decomposed bodies of the Pompeians.

Co-author Alissa Mittnik of the Max Planck Institute said: a newsletter The findings “highlight the importance of integrating genetic data with archaeological and historical information to avoid misinterpretations based on modern assumptions.”

Another discovery revealed that an adult wearing a gold bracelet and holding a child long believed to be mother and child was actually a grown man and a biologically unrelated child. Meanwhile, the pair of individuals thought to be sisters actually contains at least one genetic male.

“The findings challenge enduring notions such as the association of jewelry with femininity or the interpretation of physical intimacy as evidence of family relationships,” said Professor David Caramelli, from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florence.

The researchers also warned against making similar wrong decisions based on the new DNA findings.

“The genetic results encourage thinking about the dangers of making up stories based on today’s expectations about gender and family relationships in past societies, rather than creating new narratives that may misrepresent these people’s experiences,” said study co-author David Reich. Harvard genetics professor said: Press release.

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