The DNA of Pompeii's inhabitants: towards a complete mapping of the population. A piece of a long-term research added.
The recent news reported in the press regarding the detection of the DNA of an inhabitant of Pompeii are part of a broader line of studies conducted by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, which has been working for years - also with the contribution of Universities and scientific institutes - on a mapping of all available DNA, reserving the right to disseminate these results when the picture is complete and scientifically exhaustive.
The DNA of the inhabitants of Pompeii has been extracted since 1998, making it one of the most deeply rooted areas of scientific analysis on the site. It is therefore not possible to speak of a “first DNA Map” that has emerged now, but certainly of a piece of long-term research that will integrate a much larger and more comprehensive picture.
The recent study has a strong point in the genetic identification of a visible pathology, tuberculosis, already detected by autopsy, although the individual under examination allowed the extraction of a 33% genome, therefore not complete. The subject under study, having been excavated in 1934 and having remained exposed for a long time, presents percentages of endogenous DNA lower than the standards that are detected in the structured and reasoned mapping still in progress.
This monumental genetic mapping involving the entire Pompeian population, started in 2015, is underway by the Park in collaboration with the University of Florence, with the aim of having a true portrait of a population of the imperial era.
This project was born from the awareness that the volcanic deposit acted as a “shell” on the remains of the Pompeians, effectively preventing them from being “polluted” by external factors. The ambitious project led to the winning of a PRIN (Research Projects of Relevant National Interest) funded for 800 thousand euros, entitled “POMPEII molecular portrait”.
In the past, the study of DNA from victims of the 79 AD eruption has led to important, sometimes surprising, results. For example, analyses of casts from a presumed family group that took refuge in the House of the Golden Bracelet revealed that it was composed of two adults and two male children, but without any genetic kinship.
“Every additional piece of data that emerges from the investigations is an important achievement for scientific research that contributes to completing the historical picture of an era and a civilization. It is the result of interdisciplinary collaborations, of long and patient teamwork, which also requires a common will to disseminate rigorous news, avoiding easy protagonisms that can make the information misleading. – declares the director Gabriel Zuchtriegel – The Archaeological Park of Pompeii is a privileged field of experimentation for such studies, and is the holder of the resulting results, which, collected and compared, are able to ensure correct communication of archaeological, anthropological and scientific research in general.”
Article published on May 27, 2022 - 17:30 pm
Video Chronicles
