New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient Pompeii

When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries. Observers see stories in the figures, like a mother holding a child and two women embracing as they are buried in ash. But new DNA evidence suggests these prevailing interpretations come from looking at the ancient world through modern eyes. Scientists discovered that the person thought to be a mother was actually a man unrelated to the child. And at least one of the two people locked in an embrace was a man. The research was published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.