Carlos Solis
Researchers used artificial intelligence to digitally reconstruct the appearance of a man who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Archaeologists previously found his remains and those of an older companion in the Porta Stabia necropolis outside the city walls. The two were most likely trying to reach the coast and died a few hours apart.
What the AI reconstruction reveals about the Pompeian
The reconstruction was developed by researchers from the Pompeii Archaeological Park and the University of Padua using archaeological excavation data.
In the AI-generated image, the man flees lava while shielding his head with a terracotta mortar like a helmet. Mount Vesuvius erupts in the background, the Daily Mail reported.
Archaeologists suggest the man died at the start of the disaster after being caught in a pyroclastic flow. Besides the terracotta mortar, he carried an oil lamp, an iron ring, and ten bronze coins.
Roman writer Pliny the Younger (the best-known witness of that tragedy) described how Pompeii’s residents used various objects to protect themselves as the city was buried under ash and debris.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said, “The volume of archaeological data is so large that only with artificial intelligence can we adequately preserve and expand it.”
He added that properly used, AI will support the revival of classical scholarship.
The reconstruction’s authors said the project aims to make archaeological research more accessible and emotionally engaging for the public while maintaining a scientific foundation.
Researchers say AI opens new horizons for understanding the tragedy that occurred more than two thousand years ago and claimed roughly 16,000 lives.
The city of Pompeii, located near Naples, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
