A recent genetic study calls for a re-evaluation of the identities and relationships of many of the individuals buried and preserved in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. An international team of scientists from Harvard Medical School, the University of Florence, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology analyzed the DNA of the remains of five people who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and were subsequently stored in plaster for nearly a period of time. 2000 years. Later. Researchers working at the Pompeii Archaeological Park obtained DNA during the restoration of 86 damaged plaster casts in 2015.

New discoveries about identity and relationships

Results recently published Current Biology Based on casts and other archaeological evidence, it shows that some of the stories told for decades about human gender and family relationships are either false or not as simple as believed. For example:

• The adult with the gold bracelet and the child in her arms, often interpreted as a mother, son or daughter, turned out to be a genetically male and biologically unrelated child.
• Three of the four putative family members at the same location were not genetically related to each other at least to the third degree. (The team was unable to analyze DNA from the remains of a fourth person.)
• Two people lying in a position usually interpreted as embracing (previously thought to be sister, mother and daughter, or lover) involves at least one genetic male in all but two of the three common interpretations.

“The findings demonstrate the importance of integrating genetic analysis with archaeological and historical information to enrich or correct narratives based on limited evidence,” said study co-author Alyssa Mitnick, a former research assistant professor of genetics at HMS who is now the group leader. Maximum Planck Institute.

The authors note that such narratives often reflect the worldview and biases of researchers and other storytellers of the period. In the case of the people of Pompeii, genetic information should serve as a warning against drawing inferences about characteristics such as gender and kinship from evidence such as jewelry and physical proximity.

Storage and presentation issues

The picture is further complicated by the fact that the remains were moved to different locations and the plaster casts were likely “creatively restored” in the past, the authors write. Researchers state that some mold groups reflect different aesthetic preferences of the historical periods in which they were made. The authors warn against such errors based on new DNA findings.

David Reich, one of the senior authors, said: “The genetic results encourage us to think about the dangers of making up stories based on today’s expectations about gender and family relationships in past societies, rather than creating new narratives that could distort these people’s experiences.” . Professor of genetics at HMS Blavatnik Institute and professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University.

This is as true for Pompeii as it is for any historical or prehistoric site in the world, Reich added. The analysis supports previous evidence that Pompeii’s ancient inhabitants were mostly descended from people who migrated from the eastern Mediterranean.

“This highlights the cosmopolitanism of the Roman Empire during this period,” Reich said.

According to director Gabriel Zuchtrigel, Pompeii Park has for many years incorporated the analysis of ancient human and animal DNA into its research protocols, complementing other types of data to create a complete and updated interpretation of archaeological finds from the site and develop new developments. Research methods that contribute to the understanding of the past