Pompeii DNA: Family Myths Busted

For centuries, the plaster casts of Pompeii victims have told a heartbreaking story of families clinging to one another in their final moments. However, groundbreaking genetic research published in late 2024 has shattered these long-held assumptions. A study detailed in the journal Current Biology reveals that the famous “mother and child” pair were actually unrelated adult males, forcing historians and archaeologists to completely rethink the narratives surrounding the disaster of 79 AD.

The Myth of the House of the Golden Bracelet

One of the most poignant scenes in Pompeii was found in the House of the Golden Bracelet. For decades, museum placards and guidebooks described a tragic tableau: a mother, wearing a heavy gold bracelet, holding a child on her lap as Mount Vesuvius erupted. Beside them lay another adult (presumed to be the father) and a second child. It was the quintessential image of a nuclear family perishing together.

New DNA evidence has dismantled this interpretation entirely.

Researchers extracted genetic material from the skeletal remains preserved within the plaster casts. The analysis delivered a shock to the archaeological community. The adult wearing the bracelet—long assumed to be the mother because of the jewelry—was biologically male. Furthermore, the child on his lap was not his biological son. In fact, none of the four individuals found in that room shared a biological kinship.

Why We Got It Wrong

The error stems from 19th and 20th-century biases. When Giuseppe Fiorelli and later archaeologists created these casts, they interpreted scenes through a modern lens. If a figure was wearing jewelry or seemingly comforting a child, they were labeled female and maternal. This projection of Victorian-era family values onto Roman society created a “melodrama” that persisted for over a hundred years.

This revelation proves that men in the Roman Empire wore jewelry, or perhaps the man was simply clutching a valuable object as he fled. The positioning of the bodies reflects shared terror rather than biological lineage.

The "Two Sisters" Were Men

The House of the Golden Bracelet was not the only site where DNA testing overturned historical consensus. The study also examined the famous “The Two Sisters” cast found in the House of the Cryptoporticus.

This cast depicts two figures embracing in their final moments. Because of their intimate positioning, early archaeologists named them sisters or perhaps a mother and daughter. The genetic data tells a different story.

• Genetic Sex: At least one of the individuals is definitely male. The DNA preservation for the second individual was less complete, but the data suggests he was likely male as well.
• Relationship: There is no genetic evidence to suggest they were maternal relatives.

This finding challenges the heteronormative lens often applied to history. Two men dying in an embrace could represent friends, lovers, brothers, or simply two strangers finding comfort in a moment of absolute horror. The label “sisters” was a convenient narrative, not a factual observation.

The Science of Ancient DNA (aDNA)

Extracting DNA from the Pompeii casts is a difficult technical feat. The casts were created by pouring liquid plaster into the voids left by decomposed bodies in the solidified ash. This process encased the remaining bones in plaster, which can contaminate samples.

The research team, led by Alissa Mittnik of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and David Caramelli of the University of Florence, had to carefully drill into the plaster to reach the skeletal fragments inside.

They focused on the petrous bone (a dense part of the skull) to recover fragmented DNA strands. From this material, they could determine:

1. Biological Sex: Examining X and Y chromosomes.
2. Ancestry: Comparing the genome to known ancient populations.
3. Kinship: Checking for shared DNA markers that indicate immediate family relationships.

A Cosmopolitan Pompeii

Beyond correcting gender and family myths, the DNA study provided a fascinating look at who actually lived in Pompeii. The results paint a picture of a diverse, cosmopolitan city rather than a homogeneous local population.

The genomes showed that the victims had diverse ancestral backgrounds. Many had genetic markers consistent with populations from the Eastern Mediterranean, including the Levant (modern-day Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Syria), Turkey, and North Africa.

This makes sense given the historical context of the Roman Empire. Rome was a hub of trade and conquest. Pompeii, as a wealthy port city, would have been filled with:

• Enslaved people brought from the East.
• Merchants and traders.
• Immigrants seeking economic opportunity.
• Freedmen (formerly enslaved people) who had gained their liberty.

The idea that Pompeians were visually or genetically identical to modern central Italians is incorrect. The city was a melting pot of the ancient world.

Rewriting Museum Exhibits

These findings are currently forcing museums and archaeological parks to audit their displays. For decades, restoring the “humanity” of Pompeii meant assigning roles: the mother, the soldier, the sisters. This storytelling made the victims relatable to tourists, but it also robbed the victims of their true identities.

The Park of Pompeii and other institutions are now moving toward more neutral descriptions. Instead of captioning a cast “The Mother,” they may describe the physical position or the artifacts found nearby without assigning gender or relationship until scientific proof exists.

The study serves as a critical reminder: archaeology is not just about digging up objects. It is about interpretation. When we look at the past, we often see a reflection of our own expectations. Science is finally helping us see the Romans as they actually were.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did they get DNA if the bodies were turned to ash? The bodies did not turn to ash; the soft tissue decomposed, leaving a void in the hardened volcanic ash. However, the bones often remained inside that void. When archaeologists poured plaster into the void to make a cast, the bones became encased in the plaster. Scientists drilled into the plaster to retrieve small samples of the remaining bone.

Does this mean the people in the House of the Golden Bracelet didn’t know each other? Not necessarily. They could have been members of the same household without being blood relatives. In Roman society, a household (domus) included the patriarch, his wife, children, and enslaved people. It is possible the “child” was an enslaved boy and the “adult male” was his warden or master. They could also have been neighbors sheltering together.

Why did archaeologists think the man was a woman? The primary reason was the gold bracelet. In the 19th century, researchers operated under the assumption that only women wore heavy jewelry. Additionally, the protective pose over the child was viewed as a maternal instinct. These interpretations were based on cultural biases of the 1800s, not forensic evidence.

Are all the casts at Pompeii fake? No. The casts are real representations of the victims’ final body positions. The “fake” part is the narrative or backstory assigned to them by early historians. The physical shapes and the bones inside are authentic.