Genome of victim from Pompeii sequenced for first time

The genome of a victim of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and destruction of the city of Pompeii has been sequenced for the first time, shedding new light on the health and diversity of those who lived in the Roman empire.

- Angela Giuffrida, Nicola Davis

In a study published in Scientific Reports yesterday, a scientific team led by Gabriele Scorrano, an assistant professor of geogenetics at the University of Copenhagen, extracted DNA from two victims, a man and a woman, whose remains were found in the House of the Craftsman in Pompeii, a domus first excavated in 1914.

The experts were only able to sequence an entire genome from the man's remains.