Biochemical Analysis of the Catastrophic Mortality Event at Oplontis 79AD
We bioarchaeologically studied a collection of skeletons originally recovered from the Vesuvian site of Oplontis in the 1980s and 1990s. In this paper, we present the first demographic study of the collection from osteological and ancient DNA analyses. These analyses reveal that few people were closely maternally related, suggesting that those who took shelter at Oplontis in A.D. 79 were not likely to have been one extended family. We also characterize the individuals' diets and health through palaeodietary isotopes, pathogen DNA, and palaeoparasite analysis, all of which show that most people were relatively healthy before their untimely deaths. These results have significant implications for our understanding of ancient Romans' lives during the Imperial period.