Decoding pompeian DNA

Recent studies on human remains found in Pompeii provide new insights into the daily lives of the city's inhabitants before the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The eruption buried Pompeii under a thick layer of volcanic ash and pumice, preserving impressions of the victims’ bodies in hardened ash. Over time, these bodies decomposed, leaving human-shaped voids. In the 19th century, archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli developed a technique to fill these cavities with plaster, creating detailed casts that captured fragments of bones. DNA analysis from these incomplete skeletons revealed that many residents descended from local populations of Lazio, while also sharing ancestry with people from the Eastern Mediterranean. This genetic diversity highlights Pompeii’s role as a key hub in a vast trade network. Since 2015, restoration of the plaster casts has incorporated advanced techniques such as CT and X-ray scans to examine both the bone structure and the condition of the remains. These innovations have offered new insights into gender identification, daily life, and the state of the victims at the time of the eruption.

The findings have also challenged assumptions about the interpersonal relationships of Pompeii’s residents. For instance, DNA analysis revealed that an adult man wearing a gold bracelet and holding a child was not the father, as initially assumed, but an unrelated individual. Similarly, two individuals found embracing, previously thought to be siblings or a mother and daughter, included at least one male. These results underscore the importance of integrating genetic data to avoid misinterpretations based on modern assumptions.