A new study— published in Current Biology by a team of researchers at Harvard University and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii in Naples, Italy—asserts that ancient DNA taken from some of the victims challenges stories long told about those particular Pompeii citizens.

DNA evidence reshapes the story of Pompeii's 79 AD eruption victims, challenging old assumptions and revealing new insights into their lives.

A new study has shattered historians' long-held assumptions about some of the people who died in Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E.

Fourteen miles southeast of modern Naples lies Pompeii, a city frozen in time by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. What was once a bustling Roman town became a sprawling graveyard,

This new study probed the DNA evidence that has been taken from some of these bodies. The team used the same strontium isotopes that were used to date the DNA samples to get a better understanding of the diversity and origins of Pompeii’s residents.

Researchers have studied the DNA preserved in the skeletal remains of Pompeii volcanic eruption victims. In 79 CE, the violent eruption of the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic system engulfed the Roman town of Pompeii. This massive eruption trapped its inhabitants beneath a thick layer of volcanic ash, and led to the preservation of many bodies.

A recent DNA study has upended long-held theories about the people who died in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, revealing unexpected details about the demographics and connections among the victims.