First DNA from Pompeii victims tells story of volcanic disaster
UC Classics Professor talks to Nature about how science is informing history
Nature turned to a University of Cincinnati Classics professor to explain how science is helping to inform the history of ancient Pompeii, which was buried under ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
Researchers at the University of Florence in Italy obtained DNA from bone fragments of five people who died in the eruption. Researchers created plaster casts of the victims of Pompeii from voids in the ash left behind after people were entombed in the disaster.
The casts of the victims long have captured the imaginations of historians and the public in personalizing a disaster of epic proportions.
New DNA analysis of one cast revealed that an adult cradling a child in a dying embrace was not the child's mother, as historians believed, but a man who was unrelated to the child.
The study was published in the journal Current Biology.
Video: UC Classics Professor Steven Ellis discusses the Cincinnati Museum Center's Pompeii: the Exhibition, which ran from February to July this year.
Classics Professor Steven Ellis, who was not part of the latest study, led excavations at Pompeii for UC's College of Arts and Sciences. The first volume of his book “The Porta Stabia Neighborhood at Pompeii” published last year chronicles the findings of his international research team's work.
“What this study does is to remind us that there are indeed myths there to be debunked,” Ellis told Nature.
Ellis said DNA analysis is invaluable in helping us understand the cultures at Pompeii and where residents came from. The DNA analysis confirmed that Pompeii’s population was genetically diverse, featuring descendants of immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean, Nature said.
“We’ve known it from the jewelry that they’re wearing, the cults that they follow, the decorations that adorn the houses,” Ellis said. “But we didn’t really know it from the body casts themselves. Now we do, and that's quite important information.”
Featured image at top: An illustration created with AI depicts the eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii. Illustration/Visilli
UC Classics Professor Steven Ellis has published the first volume of "The Porta Stabia Neighborhood at Pompeii" chronicling his international research team's excavations and findings in the ancient Italian city. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Related Stories
Social media linked to student loneliness
February 17, 2026
Inside Higher Education highlighted a new study by the University of Cincinnati that found that college students across the country who spent more time on social media reported feeling more loneliness.
UC students aim to expand methadone access to treat opioid use disorder
February 16, 2026
Spectrum News speaks with UC students Yara Chaouali and Selma Younes and UC Nursing Professor Rachel Baker about a proposal to expand methodone access to treat opioid use disorder.
Niehoff Center for Film & Media Studies kicks off 2026 series
February 16, 2026
The Niehoff Center for Film and Media Studies at the University of Cincinnati invites the campus and community to delve into the thought-provoking “2026 UC European Film Series: Perspectives on Our World.” Five recent films will be screened, with introductions and discussions led by UC faculty. Using a variety of genres and forms, these films encourage audiences to think about their place on the planet, in relation to civic engagement, to the natural world, to others, and even to space aliens in Moravia. “The series is a mix of realism, reality, comedy, and escapism that we hope will make you see things differently,” said Michael Gott, Neihoff Center director of programming and College of Arts and Sciences professor. “Film can make us rethink our ideas about the world and see things from different perspectives.” Past topics have ranged from artificial intelligence to migration, urban spaces, and women in film. Following each screening, discussions with filmmakers and UC faculty aim to spark meaningful conversations.