Ancient DNA evidence contradicts historical assumptions about the existence and relationships of the ancient people : An example of four long-dead Pompeiii

Some assumptions about the existence and relationships of the ancient people have been upended by new DNA evidence. A group of four long-dead Pompeiians, for instance — once thought to be parents and their children — turned out to have no biological relation to one another.

The results of the genetics study show that the people have a tendency to make up stories about their gender and family relationships in the past.

“They really did a nice job of pointing out that these narratives were highly biased and that these judgments were made without really any scientific data,” says anthropologist John Lindo, who studies ancient DNA at Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since excavations of the ruins of Pompeii began in the 1700s, more than 100 plaster casts of the victims’ bodies have been made by pouring liquid plaster in the voids left by the destruction of their soft tissues. Many of these casts still encase pieces of the victims’ bones.

The researchers had the opportunity to collect some of these fragments during efforts to restore 86 of the 104 plaster casts. The samples yielded complete or partial genomes from five people. Lindo says that the researchers were very lucky. It would have been very difficult to mix the plaster with the DNA that would have been destroyed by that type of heat.

The discovery of bodies found in the bodies of two young girls is a tribute to the mothers of their child, the mother, and the sister “Mum”

“The findings are against long standing notions such as associations of jewelry with femininity or the notion of physical proximity as proof of family relationships”, said Professor David caramelli from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florence.

Alissa Mittnik, a co-author with the Max Planck Institute, said in a news release that the findings “highlight the importance of integrating genetic data with archaeological and historical information to avoid misinterpretations based on modern assumptions.”

The narratives about who the victims were were inspired by the bodies, like a mother holding her child and two sisters embracing in their final moments.