The truth behind Pompeii victims as new DNA analysis shows who they really were

Shocking new DNA analysis has shown a new truth behind the victims of Pompeii. When the volcano erupted in 79AD, it released a 20ft deep layer of ash and sediment that provided the perfect conditions to capture dozens of bodies in their eternal dying form.

It was from this that archaeologists created replicas of the bodies, forming stories and narratives about who these people were to each other. Especially those who passed in more intriguing positions.

that one of the more well known casts is of an adult holding a child in what looks to be a loving embrace. Dubbed the 'Two Maidens' it was assumed to have been a mother who died with her daughter in her arms.

But this has been shown to be far from the truth.

New genomic analysis found that the larger body really belonged to a man who was not genetically related to the child, who was actually a boy rather than female.

The researchers said that their analysis debunked 'the stories that were long spun around these individuals'. They now have a new theory.

They believe that these were 'servants of slaces, or the children might have been the children of servants or slaves who also inhabited the house'.

Alissa Mittnik of the Max Planck Institute added: "But of course we don't really know, and we can't really say, who these individuals were and how they interacted with each other."

Researchers looked at 14 casts undergoing restoration through extracting DNA from the skeletel fragments that remain mixed within them. They said that they hoped to determine the sex, ancestry and genetic relationships between the victims.

Further stories that were debunked in 'the house of the golden bracelet', the area where the assumed mother and child were discovered, include the idea that as the adult wore a golden bracelet it was reinforced that it was a woman.

Closeby, more bodies of an adult and a child were thought to be more of the same family. However, DNA evidence shows that the four were all male and not related to one another.

The study's co-author, David Caramelli of the Universita di Firenze said: "This study illustrates how unreliable narratives based on limited evidence can be, often reflecting the worldview of the researchers at the time.'

When the bodies were first discovered, researchers looked at their positioning as well as the location - leading to assumptions about their relationships.

Another famous example is two bodies found close to each oher in an embrace. Archaeologists at the time said that there were three possibilities for their relationship: they were mother and daughter, two sisters or lovers.

However, after scanning the skeletal remains, researchers have now determined that the victims were male and female and one was between the ages of 14 and 19 while the other was 22.

The team found that the ancient people were descended from ancestors who migrated to region from the eastern Mediterranean and North African populations that may have included central and east Turkey, Sardinia, Lebanon and Italy. They were also able to partially reconstruct their appearance, finding one had black hair and dark skin and two others had brown eyes.

More genetic testing is needed however to fully understand Pompeii's past.

Alissa continued: "Our findings have significant implications for the interpretation of archaeological data and the understanding of ancient societies. We were able to disprove or challenge some of the previous narratives built upon how these individuals were kind of found in relation to each other.

"It opens up different interpretations for who these people might have been."