DNA Discovery Shatters the Truth About Pompeii’s Famous Victims

• Some of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii in AD 79 were cast in plaster to preserve the scene.

• New DNA studies of these victims tell a different story than experts had previously predicted.

• Common interpretations of three well-known relationships have been proven wrong by scientific study.

Mount Vesuvius The eruption in AD 79 covered Pompeii with destruction. To preserve the historic nature of the event and help tell the stories of the city’s residents, some of the victims buried under the ash and debris from the volcano were eventually cast in plaster. It turns out that the stories of a few of these individuals were not like that. quite a few It is as real as we thought before.

A new study—It was published inside Current Biology by a team of researchers from Harvard University and the Pompeii Archaeological Park in Naples, Italy. DNA Stories of hardship from some of the victims that have long been told about the Pompeian citizens in question.

“The findings demonstrate the importance of integrating genetic analysis with archaeological and historical information to enrich or correct narratives formed based on limited information.” evidenceAlissa Mittnik, a co-author of the study, said: expression.

For decades, most of the stories told about the relationships and connections between individuals discovered in the Pompeii Archaeological Park were based solely on the physical appearance of the victims and their proximity to each other. For example, in one case, a painting of an adult holding a gold bracelet. child It was interpreted as a mother holding her child in her arms. However, this latest DNA analysis shows that there was no maternal presence or any family relationship at the scene. Instead, the adult wearing the jewelry in the scene was a male who was biologically unrelated to the child.

There are four in the second scene victims huddled together, it is often believed to be a family. But when the research team analyzed the DNA of three of the victims, they found no genetic link between them.

In a third case, two people are seen lying in what is believed to be an embrace. Some have hypothesized two people It could be sisters, a mother holding her daughter, or even lovers. DNA shows that at least one of the two individuals is male, eliminating two of the three common interpretations.

The ancient eruption buried many Roman towns, killing residents and leaving the cities with deposits of ash that preserved everything from buildings and statues to mosaics and human sacrifices. Follow up shortly explosionThe rain helped functionally solidify the bodies in the ash. Outlines of nearly 1,000 victims remained when diggers descended on the site centuries later, and in more than 100 cases the gaps were filled with plaster to preserve their positions.

Although this DNA analysis dispels some myths about Pompeii, the goal of the team behind this study was not to reveal an exact date. And DNA alone will not be enough to know the stories of these victims. Some of the remains may have been moved from their original locations, and the plaster casts may have been “creatively restored” in the past, the study authors wrote. The team also warned that telling the story from start to finish using so few clues, such as jewels, was risky, especially in a region rich in diverse species. cultures.

The team’s goal was never to get these stories absolutely right; instead they just wanted to make the stories less false. “Instead of creating new narratives that may misrepresent these people’s experiences,” study co-senior author David Reich said in a statement. genetic “The results encourage reflection on the dangers of making up stories about gender and family relations in past societies based on today’s expectations.”

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