The history of Pompeii is completed every day with new discoveries. Now, the DNA collected from the famous tracings or molds of corpses of the ancient Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, alter some stories that have been written about its inhabitants. The scientific journal ‘Current Biology’ publishes a report on the DNA tests of some of them, showing that the gender and family relationships of some people do not coincide with the traditional interpretations that had been formulated until now, based on assumptions that were largely based on customs or modern social life.
“The scientific data we provide does not always align with common assumptions,” explains David Reich, a prominent professor of Genetics at Harvard University, known for his pioneering work in the field of DNA and one of the signatories of the ‘ Current Biology’. Reich gives this notable example: “The discovery that an adult wearing a gold bracelet and holding in arms a childtraditionally interpreted as a mother and her sonin reality they were a unrelated adult male and child. Similarly, a pair of individuals believed to be sistersor mother and daughter, it has been found that the couple genetically had at least one male. “These findings challenge traditional assumptions and interpretations about gender and family.”
The study team, which included Alissa Mittnik, also of Harvard University, and David Caramelli, of the University of Florence in Italy, found that ancient DNA and isotopes of strontium (a metallic chemical element) used to date the samples could help you better understand the diversity and origins of the residents of Pompeii. To do this, they extracted DNA from highly fragmented skeletal remains mixed with plaster casts, focusing in 14 of the 86 molds that are being restored.
The objective of the three researchers was learn everything possible of the DNA evidence on these 14 victims. Their approach allowed them to precisely determine the genetic relationships, sex and ancestry of those 14 individuals. What they discovered contrasted largely with long-held assumptions based solely on the physical appearance and position of the casts.
The genetic data offered information about the ancestry of the Pompeians, revealing that they had diverse genomic background. They were mainly descended from recent immigrations from the eastern Mediterranean. The find highlights the cosmopolitan nature of the Roman Empire, according to the researchers. “Our findings have significant implications for the interpretation of archaeological data and the understanding of ancient societies, avoiding erroneous interpretations based on modern assumptions,” says Alissa Mittnik, from the Department of Genetics at Harvard University.
«This study – adds the researcher – also highlights the nature diverse and cosmopolitan population of Pompeiireflecting broader patterns of mobility and cultural exchange in the Roman Empire. For his part, University of Florence researcher David Caramelli, professor of Anthropology, highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to study the finds from Pompeii, including genetic analysis, to fully understand the ancient Roman city’s past, its origin and its relationships. “This study illustrates,” says Professor Caramello, “how unreliable narratives based on limited evidence can be, which often reflect the researchers’ worldview at the time.”
Discovery of the first genome
It should be noted that it was in May of 2022 when it was first achieved successfully sequence the genome of a person who died in Pompeii after the eruption of Vesuvius. A significant advance was thus achieved to better understand the genetic history and life of the ancient Roman city. Until then, only short stretches of mitochondrial DNA from human and animal remains had been sequenced.
In that investigation, a team of scientists examined the remains of two individuals who were found in the Blacksmith’s House and their DNA was extracted. The shape, structure and length of the skeletons indicated that one set of remains belonged to a man, whose age was established between 35 and 40 years at the time of his death; while the other set of remains belonged to a woman over 50 years old. Researchers were able to extract and sequence DNA from both people, but they were only able to sequence the entire genome of the man’s remains. It was not possible in the case of the woman, due to gaps in the sequences obtained from her remains.
The ‘plaster rubbings’
For these investigations, ‘plaster tracings’ have been decisive, an invention due to the great intuition of the archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli (1823-1896), a prominent director of the excavations. Only since 1858, thanks to the brilliant method introduced by Fiorelli, could the imprint that the eruption left on the Pompeians be appreciated, by obtaining plaster casts of the dead. The bodies, as they decomposed over the centuries, had left empty spaces under the lava. Fiorelli filled them with liquid plaster introduced through the holes opened in the crust created above Pompeii after the eruption. In that empty chamber, where the organic matter had disappeared, Fiorelli obtained molds of extraordinary precision that reflected the last moments of those people’s lives.
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