When a volcanic eruption buried the city, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries.
Updated: 17 minutes agoFILE - Jewelry found in the ruins of a house in Pompeii are displayed, backdropped by the casts of two adults and two children who died together in the house in Pompeii, at the exhibition,"Life and death Pompeii and Herculaneum," at the British Museum in central London.
But new DNA evidence suggests things were not as they seem — and these prevailing interpretations come from looking at the ancient world through modern eyes. The team, which also includes scientists from Harvard University and the University of Florence in Italy, relied on genetic material preserved for nearly two millennia. After Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the Roman city in 79 A.D., bodies buried in mud and ash eventually decomposed, leaving spaces where they used to be. Casts were created from the voids in the late 1800s.
Researchers also confirmed Pompeii citizens came from diverse backgrounds but mainly descended from eastern Mediterranean immigrants – underscoring a broad pattern of movement and cultural exchange in the Roman Empire. Pompeii is located about 150 miles from Rome.
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New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient PompeiiWhen a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries.
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New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient PompeiiWhen a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries. Observers see stories in the figures, like a mother holding a child and two women embracing as they are buried in ash.
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New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient PompeiiWhen a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries.
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New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient PompeiiWhen a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries
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DNA reveals new stories about Pompeii’s victimsLaura is a science news writer, covering a wide variety of subjects, but she is particularly fascinated by all things aquatic, paleontology, nanotechnology, and exploring how science influences daily life. Laura is a proud former resident of the New Jersey shore, a competitive swimmer, and a fierce defender of the Oxford comma.
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DNA rewrites history of Pompeii victims buried in volcanic eruption centuries agoResearchers have studied the DNA preserved in the skeletal remains of Pompeii volcanic eruption victims.
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