Scientists sequence genetic profile of Pompeian for 1st time

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - For the first time, a team of researchers managed to sequence the genome of a man who died 2,000 years ago in Pompeii, according to a fresh study.

In a study published on Thursday, scientists from the University of Copenhagen analyzed two Pompeians -- a man and a woman -- found inside a building in the ancient town that was destroyed and buried under ash by the eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The team said the man was between 35 and 40 years old and stood about 164 centimeters (5 feet 4 inches) tall, with his DNA pointing to shared heritage with people living today in central Italy, as well as the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

The work also suggests that the man's lineage likely arrived on the Italian peninsula through Anatolia during the Neolithic era and that he may have been suffering tuberculosis at the time of his death.

Another set of remains that they found belonged to a woman over 50 years old and stood about 153 cm tall.

Underlining that the findings provide a foundation to promote further study of "well-preserved Pompeian individuals," the team said that it demonstrated "the power of a combined approach to investigate ancient humans and confirms the possibility to retrieve ancient DNA from Pompeii human remains."