Researchers have extracted genetic secrets from the bones of a man and a woman buried when the Roman city of Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash.
This first “Pompeian human genome” is an almost complete set of “genetic instructions” from the victims, encoded in DNA extracted from their bones.
The two people were first discovered in 1933, in the Casa del Fabbro, or The Craftsman’s House.
They were slumped in the corner of the dining room, as though they were having lunch when the eruption occurred - on 24 August 79AD.
The huge cloud of ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius would have been lethal for the city’s residents in less than 20 minutes.
The two victims the researchers studied, according to anthropologist Dr Serena Viva from the University of Salento, were not attempting to escape.
Researchers found evidence the man suffered from Pott’s disease — a kind of musculoskeletal tuberculosis, which can cause deformation of the spine and intense pain on moving, even breathing too hard.
“From the position of their bodies it seems they were not running away,” Dr Viva said.
A fragment of bone at the base of the man’s skull contained enough intact DNA to work out his entire genetic code.
This showed that he shared “genetic markers” - or recognisable reference points in his genetic code - with other individuals who lived in Italy during the Roman Imperial age.
But he also had a group of genes commonly found in those from the island of Sardinia.
Dr Viva added that every human body in Pompeii was “a treasure”.
“These people are silent witnesses to one of the most well-known historical events in the world,” she said. “To work with them is very emotional and a great privilege for me.”
The Pompeii ruins were discovered in the 16th century, with the first excavations beginning in 1748. About 1,500 of the estimated 2,000 victims have been found over the centuries.
