Researchers Sequence the DNA of Man Who Died at Pompeii

(Photo: Denise Jones/Unsplash) Despite how much we already know about the tragic volcanic eruption that occurred almost 2,000 years ago in Pompeii, there’s still a lot to be discovered about the people who lived there. Scientists have made a major stride in this area by sequencing a complete genome of a man who died that fateful day. 

The eruption at Pompeii infamously encased the city in pyroclastic flows, creating an eerie snapshot of its residents’ final moments. Because the ash and volcanic debris preserved everything from human bodies to food, scientists have been able to turn the city—just a few miles southeast of Naples, Italy—into an archaeological site that offers glimpses of life in 79 CE. One such glimpse can be found at the House of the Craftsman, a small structure in which the remains of two ash-engulfed humans were first found nearly a century ago.  

The remains belonged to one 50-year-old woman and one man believed to be between 35 and 40 years old. Dr. Serena Viva, an anthropology professor at Italy’s University of Salento, worked with geogeneticists to extract DNA from both skeletons. But according to a report published in the journal Nature, the team was unable to obtain quality information from the woman’s DNA, leaving them capable of analyzing only the man’s DNA. 

Researchers believe the pair experienced a quick death as a cloud of superheated ash overtook the home. Their positions suggest they did not attempt to escape. (Photo: Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1934)

A small amount of bone taken from the base of the man’s skull provided enough intact DNA for the researchers to sequence a complete genome. His genome revealed that while he shared genetic similarities with other people who lived in Italy during the Roman Imperial age, he also possessed genes typical of individuals from Sardinia, an island off of Italy’s eastern coast. This tells the researchers that the Italian Peninsula may have harbored more genetic diversity than originally thought.  

The man’s remains also contained ancient DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that primarily affects the lungs. Because a few of the man’s vertebrae showed signs of disease, Dr. Viva’s team believes he was suffering from the disease prior to the eruption. 

Thanks to the effectiveness of modern sequencing machines—and the success of this study—researchers are likely to continue analyzing DNA from preserved remains at Pompeii and other archaeological sites, like Herculaneum (which was also engulfed in volcanic ash). “Our initial findings provide a foundation to promote an intensive analysis of well-preserved Pompeian individuals,” the study reads. “Supported by the enormous amount of archaeological information that has been collected in the past century for the city of Pompeii, their paleogenetic analyses will help us to reconstruct the lifestyle of this fascinating population of the Imperial Roman period.”

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