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

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

• The scientific study proved that common interpretations of three well-known relationships were wrong.

THE Mount Vesuvius The eruption of 79 AD plunged Pompeii into destruction. To preserve the historic nature of the event and help tell the story of the city’s residents, some of the victims buried beneath the volcano’s ash and debris were eventually cast in plaster. It turns out that the stories of some of these people were not enough as true as we previously thought.

A new study…published In Current biology by a team of researchers from Harvard University and the Pompeii Archaeological Park in Naples, Italy, claims that ancient DNA drawn from some of the victims, long-told stories about these particular citizens of Pompeii.

“The results demonstrate the importance of integrating genetic analysis with archaeological and historical information to enrich or correct narratives constructed on the basis of limited data. evidence” said Alissa Mittnik, co-author of the study, in a statement.

For decades, many stories told about the relationships and connections between individuals discovered in the Pompeii Archaeological Park were based simply on the physical appearance of the victims and their proximity to each other. In one situation, for example, a painting of an adult with a gold bracelet holding a child on their knees was interpreted as a mother holding her offspring. This recent DNA analysis, however, shows that there was no maternal presence or family relationship involved in the scene. Instead, the adult on the stage wearing the jewelry was a man who had no biological connection to the child.

A second scene presents four victims huddled together, we often think that they form 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 situation, two individuals are seen lying in what is believed to be an embrace. Some have hypothesized both people They could be sisters, a mother holding a daughter, or even lovers. DNA shows that at least one of the two people was male, eliminating two of the three common interpretations.

The ancient eruption buried several Roman towns, killing residents and depositing ash deposits in the towns that preserved everything from buildings to sculptures and mosaics to human victims. Shortly after the eruptionthe rain helped functionally cement the bodies in the ashes. When excavators descended on the area centuries later, the outlines of around 1,000 victims remained, and in more than 100 cases the cavities were filled with plaster to preserve their locations.

Although this DNA analysis dispels some of the myths about Pompeii, the goal of the team behind this work was not necessarily to uncover definitive stories. And DNA alone would not be enough to know the history of these victims. For one thing, some remains might have been moved from their original position and the plaster casts might have been “creatively restored” in the past, the study authors wrote. The team also warned that using so few clues, such as jewelry, to tell a complete story proves risky, especially in a region rich in diversity. crops.

The team’s intention was never to correct these stories once and for all, but rather to ensure that the stories were simply less false. “Instead of establishing new narratives that might also distort these people’s experiences,” David Reich, co-lead author of the study, said in a statement, “the genetic The findings encourage reflection on the dangers of inventing stories about gender and family relationships in past societies, based on current expectations.

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