In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy erupted, obliterating the Roman town of Pompeii and encasing its inhabitants in a thick layer of volcanic ash. This catastrophic event preserved much of the town’s structures, objects, and even the bodies of its citizens, frozen in the positions they were in when disaster struck. Over the centuries since Pompeii’s rediscovery in the 1700s, archaeologists and historians have pieced together stories of its inhabitants based on the positions and objects found with them. However, new insights from ancient DNA analysis are now challenging many of these interpretations.
Recent research published on November 7, 2024, in Current Biology presents evidence from DNA extracted from Pompeii’s famed body casts, showing that many of the relationships, genders, and social roles traditionally assigned to these victims were incorrect. This study reveals that some assumptions, largely based on the positions and artifacts associated with the bodies, were shaped by modern-day biases rather than by historical reality.
David Reich, a researcher from Harvard University, highlighted one of the study’s surprising discoveries. A body cast of an adult holding a child and adorned with a golden bracelet was long believed to depict a mother protecting her child in their final moments. However, DNA analysis revealed that this adult was actually male and unrelated to the child. This finding sharply contrasts with the traditional narrative and emphasizes how gender roles and family structures were often interpreted through a modern lens. In another case, a pair of individuals thought to be sisters or mother and daughter turned out to include at least one genetic male, further challenging long-standing assumptions about these tragic Pompeian figures.
The study, conducted by a team including Alissa Mittnik from Harvard University and David Caramelli of the Universita di Firenze, Italy, sought to analyze DNA from skeletal remains within 14 of 86 plaster casts currently undergoing restoration. Due to the extraordinary conditions in Pompeii, the remains were heavily fragmented, making genetic extraction difficult. However, the team successfully isolated DNA and strontium isotopes from the remains, which allowed them to accurately determine not only the biological sex but also the ancestry and genetic relationships of these individuals.
The results revealed that Pompeii’s residents were more genetically diverse than previously thought, with a significant proportion of their ancestry tracing back to recent immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean. This suggests that Pompeii was a highly cosmopolitan community, reflecting the diverse makeup of the Roman Empire as a whole. Reich’s team believes this newfound understanding of Pompeii’s population paints a clearer picture of the mobility, cultural exchange, and diversity that characterized ancient Roman society.
According to Mittnik, these findings hold broader implications for interpreting archaeological data. She notes that relying solely on physical evidence or preconceived notions of family structures can lead to inaccurate conclusions. For example, the artifacts and postures that led archaeologists to see maternal, sibling, or spousal relationships may reflect more about the perspectives of past researchers than about the lives of Pompeii’s people. Mittnik advocates for integrating genetic evidence with historical and archaeological data to ensure a more accurate portrayal of ancient societies, emphasizing that this approach can avoid pitfalls rooted in present-day assumptions.
Caramelli adds that this study showcases the power of multidisciplinary approaches in archaeology. The genetic analysis at Pompeii exemplifies how modern science can revise historical narratives that, although longstanding, were based on limited or circumstantial evidence. The researchers see their findings as a call for more complex and cautious interpretations of ancient life, recognizing that a blend of genetics, archaeology, and historical knowledge is necessary to understand the full story.
These new revelations about Pompeii’s residents underscore the evolving nature of archaeological research. As technology advances, so too does our ability to uncover nuanced aspects of ancient civilizations that previously lay beyond reach. For Pompeii, the integration of genetic data is not only reshaping historical understandings but also setting a new standard for future research into the ancient world.
Source: Cell Press