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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.