May 28, 2009

Ancient mtDNA from Pompeii

From the paper:






Some pictures from the house of Polybius.

Annals of Human Genetics

Ancient DNA and Family Relationships in a Pompeian House

Giovanni Di Bernardo et al.





Maju said...

They were probably relatives, what would explain the aboundance of a relatively rare clade like T2b.

Anyhow, how did they manage to extract DNA from what are technical fossils? I understand that Pompeians bodies were fully fossilized (their bodies replaced by stone) and not just covered on ashes (that would eventually become rock). Am I wrong on that?

Gioiello said...

"Caius Iulius Polybius" seems a freedman's surname, then I think it is difficult to link his mitochondrial to a definite ethnic group. Probably he was a freedman of the Imperial House, being the "nomen" Iulius that of Caius Iulius Caesar, passed by adoption to Augustus and to the whole Iulia Claudia Dynasty.

Major Tom said...

Caius Iulius Polybius was a freedman surely. These remains, 8 males and 4 females, were examinated many years ago. The 6 younger, boys and girls, have the same mothernal ancestry, maybe were brothers, but the woman that embraces the younger boys isn't their mother. Adult woman remains are not related with boys and girls. Maybe she was already died and her husband had another woman.
The greatest girl was pregnant, for this her relatives were nearby her all.
The other ones can be the relatives of the girl's husband and some slave.

Kepler said...

I also would like to know the answer to Maju's question. How did they get that DNA?

Ponto said...

Some of those "bodies" that you see casts of actually contain skeletons that was within the mould made of their bodies prior to their soft tissues being cremated and bacteria/enzymes consuming the rest of what was left of the soft tissues.

The obvious answer is from the bones and teeth probably the teeth left behind.

Surely you don't think they fabricated the results?

Maju said...

Thanks for explaining, Ponto.

I did not think they fabricated the results but was puzzled because I did not know there was anything left inside the casts. The matheral and methods sections are also interesting.