16 Bizarre Things Most People Don’t Know About The Bodies Preserved At Pompeii

In 79 CE, volcanic Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii, Italy. Hidden from the world beneath pumice and ash, it was all but forgotten for nearly 1,500 years. But that changed in 1738 when excavation workers discovered the site preserved beneath dust and debris.

In 1860, Italian archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli took charge of the site and began a proper excavation. Fiorelli recognized the soft ashes on the site were actually cavities left from the dead, and he is responsible for filling them with high-grade plaster. Thus, the preserved bodies of Pompeii were born. Nearly 150 years later, modern science revealed strange facts about the bodies thanks to CT scans. Archaeological discoveries like this are constantly refining our beliefs about the ancient world. As recently as 2024, scholars upended long-held beliefs the demographics at Pompeii and how adults and children, as well as men and women, interacted with each other.

Among the many things most folks don’t know about Pompeii is that the bodies themselves, more than almost any other existing artifacts, provide archeologists with vital information about what life was like in the ancient city. Take a look at these little-known Pompeii facts.


    • The Plaster Bodies Are Full Of Bones
      • Photo:
        • Dave & Margie Hill / Kleerup
        • Wikimedia Commons
        • CC BY-SA 2.0

      The Plaster Bodies Are Full Of Bones

      To create the preserved bodies at Pompeii, Fiorelli and his team poured plaster into soft cavities in the ash, which were about 30 feet beneath the surface. These cavities were the outlines of bodies, and they retained their forms despite the soft tissue decomposing over time.

      The plaster filled in the spaces formerly occupied by soft tissue.

      A common misconception is that the plaster bodies are empty. But the cavities the bodies left were not shells in the ash waiting for the plaster. In fact, they were soft spots that still held the bones of the cadavers. When the plaster filled the soft ash, the bones were enclosed. The bodies of Pompeii are even more lifelike than they appear.

    • They Reveal Children Had Syphilis
      • Photo:
        • Fer.filol
        • Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

      They Reveal Children Had Syphilis

      Surviving until the age of 10 in Pompeii would have been a feat as children often died from infectious diseases and lack of proper treatment. Diseases leave their mark in the enamel of teeth, so archeologists have insight into some of the most common causes of death among the children of Pompeii. Syphilis ranks among the top.

      There are tell-tale signs on the bones of a pair of young male twins that point to congenital syphilis.

      Although many scientists previously believed that Columbus and his sailors brought syphilis back to Europe after sailing to America, this proves the disease existed in Europe more than 1,000 years before then.

    • Some Victims Died In An Eruption-Related Earthquake
      • Photo:
        • Archaeological Park of Pompeii

      Some Victims Died In An Eruption-Related Earthquake

      When Vesuvius erupted, along with spewing volcanic ash and gas, it triggered earthquakes that were just as deadly. In May 2023, archaeologists announced they had discovered the skeletons of two people who perished in the earthquake that accompanied the eruption.

      The bodies of what were likely two males at least 55 years old were found beneath a collapsed wall in Pompeii’s House of the Chaste Lovers (a building that gets its name from a wall painting that depicts a kissing couple).

      The discovery shows that structures collapsed not just because of the accumulation of lava or pumice, but also due to strong earth-shaking.

      The Pompeii Archaelogical Park said in a statement:

      Part of the south wall of the room collapsed, crushing one of the men whose raised arm offers a tragic image of his vain attempt to protect himself from the falling masonry. The conditions of the west wall demonstrate the tremendous force of the earthquakes that took place at the same time as the eruption: the entire upper section was detached and fell into the room, crushing and burying the other individual.

    • The Bodies Might Show The Social Hierarchy Of Pompeii
      • Photo:
        • Pompeii Sites
        • YouTube

      The Bodies Might Show The Social Hierarchy Of Pompeii

      Modern researchers have found skeletons at Pompeii that might indicate the social status of those who perished. In November 2020, archaeologists found the remains of two men inside a side room of a cryptoporticus (a covered gallery) below a villa at the excavation site Civita Guiliana just northwest of Pompeii. One skeleton, of a young man about 18 to 25 years old, revealed “a series of vertebral compressions, unusual in a young man of his age,” suggesting that he had been doing hard labor and could have been an enslaved person. The second man, thought to be from 30 to 40 years old, was found with the remains of intricate clothing, including a tunic and mantle made of wool, that suggest he could have been a wealthy man.

      A group of 54 bodies found in the basement storeroom of an agricultural depot is also of interest. Although the victims hunkered down together in the space, they also arranged themselves along clearly divided lines. On one side of the room, the bodies were loaded with gold, jewels, and other signs of wealth. On the other, the people had no possessions. Although scientists aren’t certain about what this means, there are several possible explanations for the arrangement. Some people could’ve picked up their possessions and tried to run from the disaster. Or maybe half of the people in the room were criminals who stole things on their way to hide. But it’s also possible the people arranged themselves according to social status.

    • The Casual Positions Of The Bodies Indicate How People Might've Died
      • Photo:
        • Leandro Neumann Ciuffo
        • Wikimedia Commons
        • CC BY 2.0

      The Casual Positions Of The Bodies Indicate How People Might’ve Died

      Researchers discovered some of the Pompeii bodies in the fetal position. It’s a common sign of suffocation, so many experts assume the victims died when hot gasses roared through the city. Scientists also know that raining pumice caused roof collapses that killed Some Pompeians who remained indoors.

      But excavators also discovered bodies in relatively casual positions. This led some scientists to believe that incredibly high temperatures from the eruption killed the Pompeians, not prolonged suffocation by ash.

    • Some Of Their DNA Survived, In One Case Revealing Spinal Tuberculosis
      • Photo:
        • G. Scorrano, S. Viva, T. Pinotti, et al.
        • Scientific Reports
        • CC BY 4.0

      Some Of Their DNA Survived, In One Case Revealing Spinal Tuberculosis

      In 2022, researchers announced that, for the first time, they had sequenced the complete genome of someone who perished at Pompeii. Scientists extracted DNA from bones at the base of the skeleton of an adult male and an adult female found at Casa del Fabbro (“House of the Craftsman”). They were able to fully study the male sample; the female DNA did not provide enough information for complete analysis.

      The researchers, who published their results in Scientific Reports, found that the man probably had spinal tuberculosis, a common illness at the time, and the woman likely suffered from osteoarthritis.

      Anthropologist Serena Viva, one of the study’s co-authors, told The Guardian that the couple’s afflictions might explain why their remains were discovered in their home: Perhaps they “waited for it all to finish, maybe in the security of their home, compared to other victims who were fleeing and whose remains were found in open spaces.”

      How did the DNA survive all this time? According to the scientists, the “pyroclastic materials that covered the remains” might have provided protection from oxygen and other elements that harm DNA.

    • The Bodies Show Signs Of The Pyroclastic Surge Death Wave
      • Photo:
        • Idéfix
        • Wikimedia Commons
        • CC BY-SA 3.0

      The Bodies Show Signs Of The Pyroclastic Surge Death Wave

      Many experts believe that, after the initial wave of falling pumice and debris, whipping heat tornadoes washed over the city and instantly killed everyone in the way. This natural phenomenon is called a pyroclastic surge.

      According to this theory, the victims in the fetal position didn’t end up that way because of a slow and drawn-out death. Instead, they’re in what’s called “extreme cadaveric spasm,” when the body’s muscles instantly contract from extreme dehydration.

      Crack patterns in the skeletons lend further proof to the theory that Pompeians died from incredible heat.

    • They Hint We Might Be Wrong About When Vesuvius Erupted
      • Photo:
        • Snapshots Of The Past
        • Wikimedia Commons
        • CC BY-SA 2.0

      They Hint We Might Be Wrong About When Vesuvius Erupted

      Based on the account of Roman author Pliny the Younger, experts have long agreed that Mount Vesuvius erupted in August of 79 CE. However, there is alternative evidence that throws this assumption for a loop.

      After careful clothing analysis, archeologists now posit the volcano might have erupted months later in the fall of that year. That’s because many of the fiber remains are indicative of heavier autumn attire than summer clothes.

    • Contemporary CT Scans Are Correcting Old Assumptions About The Bodies
      • Photo:
        • Claus Ableiter
        • Wikimedia Commons
        • CC BY-SA 3.0

      Contemporary CT Scans Are Correcting Old Assumptions About The Bodies

      People during the Victorian era loved a good drama. So when Fiorelli’s team began piecing together the story of Pompeii, many people created stories for the bodies based on misleading evidence. There’s the pregnant woman who was consumed by hot ash and the embracing lovers known as the “Two Maidens.”

      But modern CT scans have debunked some of the most dearly held of these totally unfounded tales. At one point, it was believed that the “Two Maidens” were both men. In 2024, however, more research indicated one of the maidens was female and the other was male.

      According to geneticists David Reich and Alissa Mittnik from Harvard, it’s impossible to know exactly how these individuals interacted with each other, but DNA makes it clear that “one of them was genetically male” and the other was female. Mittnik clarified that “they were not maternally related to each other.”

    • They Prove Pompeii Was As Diverse As Modern Day New York City
      • Photo:
        • Lancevortex
        • Wikimedia Commons
        • CC BY-SA 3.0

      They Prove Pompeii Was As Diverse As Modern Day New York City

      There’s a body at Pompeii that’s come to be known as “Celt from Gaul” because of its unusually tall height and unique manner of dress. That suggests the man could’ve come from somewhere north of Pompeii. For a long time, many assumed the man was a slave captured by the Romans.

      But now we know that might not be the case.

      In the 1st century, Pompeii was an important trade city where merchants from across the Mediterranean lived and worked. Experts have used bone analysis to determine the genetic makeup of Pompeii, and many agree the diversity was similar to modern cities like New York City and London. People from Greece, Gaul, and other surrounding Mediterranean countries comprised the population.

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  • The Bodies Disprove That All The Victims Were Sick And Elderly
    • Photo:
      • Pompejanischer Maler um 30 n.C./The Yorck Project
      • Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

    The Bodies Disprove That All The Victims Were Sick And Elderly

    For hundreds of years, many assumed the young and healthy residents of Pompeii managed to escape the volcano, leaving the sick and elderly to perish. Archeologists now know that an entire cross-section of people died.

    In reality, everyone had ample time to escape. Mount Vesuvius had slowly been building up steam and giving signals of an imminent eruption.

    Unfortunately, it was right after the festival of Vulcanalia, the annual celebration for the Roman god of volcanoes. The Pompeians interpreted the smoking and spurting mountain as a good omen instead of evacuating.

  • They Reveal The People Of Pompeii May Have Been Taller Than We Thought
    • Photo:
      • Unknown
      • Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

    They Reveal The People Of Pompeii May Have Been Taller Than We Thought

    From looking at the preserved bodies at Pompeii, many researchers assumed the residents of the city during that time were shorter than people today. But that might not be true.

    According to archaeologist Estelle Lazer, measurements of the long bones reveal that the ancient Pompeians were about as tall as the local population of today’s Naples. They were overall healthy thanks to their healthy lifestyles.

  • The Pompeians Had Excellent Dental Hygiene
    • Photo:
      • Daniele Florio
      • Wikimedia Commons
      • CC BY 2.0

    The Pompeians Had Excellent Dental Hygiene

    In 2015, archeologists began using CT scans to analyze the bodies at Pompeii. One of the most remarkable finds is that the Pompeians had terrific teeth. They lived thousands of years before the advent of anything even resembling modern dentistry, but experts didn’t find a single cavity in their teeth.

    At first glance, this is shocking, but it actually makes quite a bit of sense.

    Mount Vesuvius erupted before processed sugar was invented, and the Roman diet was high in fiber, protein, and fruits. This diet, combined with the high levels of fluorine in the air and water, made for mouths free of cavities.

  • The Bodies Show Plenty Of People Lived Into Old Age
    • Photo:
      • Weefemwe
      • Wikimedia Commons
      • CC BY-SA 3.0

    The Bodies Show Plenty Of People Lived Into Old Age

    The bodies at Pompeii have given archeologists an unparalleled glimpse at ancient Roman life, and they’ve helped to debunk plenty of myths. One common misconception about the citizens of Pompeii is that few people survived into old age.

    But the bodies show a balanced cross-section of the population, with several people who were middle-aged or elderly. This proves that many people lived well into late adulthood.

  • They Indicate The Strength And Importance Of Roman Family Networks
    • Photo:
      • Pompejanischer Maler um 60 v. Chr./The Yorck Project (2002)
      • Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

    They Indicate The Strength And Importance Of Roman Family Networks

    On one hand, the bodies at Pompeii demonstrate the high mortality rate of children under 10, but they also testify to the strength of Pompeian family units.

    According to anthropologist Fabian Kanz, the fact that many Pompeians survived into adulthood, despite the evidence of childhood diseases, shows that parents and extended families provided a great deal of care for kids. That means they spent a lot of time helping their children when they could’ve been focused on their own survival. You can’t say the same thing about all early societies.

  • Scientists Used A Special Type Of CT Scan To See Through The Plaster
    • Photo:
      • Dave & Margie Hill / Kleerup
      • Wikimedia Commons
      • CC BY-SA 2.0

    Scientists Used A Special Type Of CT Scan To See Through The Plaster

    Although the 19th-century plaster casts helped to preserve the bodies, they also made it really difficult to access and study the skeletons inside them. In order to look inside the victims’ bodies, an archeological team used a 16-layer CT scan machine, designed for people with implants and prosthetics.

    In order to interpret the images produced by the complex scanner, a team of orthodontists, radiologists, computer engineers, and archeologists worked together on the project.

  • Want More Pompeii?
    • Photo:
      • Belknap Press

    Want More Pompeii?

    The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was an unimaginable tragedy, but it’s because of that tragedy that we have such a clear image of the daily life of a 2,000-year-old society. For history lovers, the allure of Pompeii is its surprising modernity. There is an abundance of books and documentaries that explore this archaeological wonder, and even a first hand account of the eruption. If you’re interested in learning more about Pompeii, we encourage you to check out the following.

    The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found. In this thoroughly researched book about Pompeii before the eruption, Mary Beard offers an engaging, evocative glimpse of a thriving Roman town. In her absorbing prose, Beard describes what it was like to live, worship, and even negotiate traffic in ancient Pompeii.

    The Letters of the Younger Pliny. Fair warning: prose written in the 2nd century is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you love primary sources – and Ancient Rome in particular – you cannot do better than Pliny’s Letters. Pliny offers a first hand account of the Mount Vesuvius eruption, detailing the geological and emotional terror as it unfolded before his very eyes.

    If you’re looking for a well-produced documentary on Pompeii, the History Channel’s Doomed City is a great place to start. If you don’t mind a few Hollywood flourishes, 2014’s Pompeii starring Kit Harrington is an entertaining action film.

    For home decor, there are some dynamic (even frightening) paintings that imagine Vesuvius’s eruption, but also this lovely triptych that showcases modern day Naples.

    And finally, for further reading, Ranker has numerous lists that investigate the various aspects of Pompeii, from the most surprising photos to the most recently discovered facts:

    • Fascinating Photos Of Pompeii That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’
    • Weird Oddities Found At Pompeii That Aren’t Bodies
    • Facts About Pompeii We Just Learned That Made Us Say ‘Really?’

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