Archaeologists at Pompeii use artificial intelligence to reconstruct victim of AD 79 eruption

Archaeologists use AI to generate image of Pompeii victim

ROME, April 27 (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Italy's Pompeii have for the first time used artificial intelligence to reconstruct the appearance of one of the victims of the volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient Roman city nearly 2,000 years ago. The AI-generated image, released by the Pompeii Archaeological Park on Monday, shows a man ducking for cover while holding a large bowl over his head, with a flaming Mount Vesuvius in the background. It is based ⁠on the recent discovery of the remains of a male adult, just outside one of the southern gates of the city, which were lying next to a terracotta mortar that he presumably used as protection. Archaeologists believe the man was killed by a shower of volcanic rocks, in the early hours of the second day of the eruption, while trying to escape towards the sea. He was also carrying ⁠a lamp and 10 bronze coins, the park said. "If used well, artificial intelligence can contribute to a renewal of classical studies, illustrating the classical world in a more immersive way," the head of the archaeological park, ⁠Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said in a statement. The once-thriving city of Pompeii, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) south-east of Naples, was buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ⁠AD 79, preserving buildings, objects and graffiti under metres of ash. Rediscovered in the 18th century, it is now one of the ⁠world's most significant archaeological sites, and one of the most popular tourist sites in Italy, with 4.3 million visitors in 2024, according to the latest statistics. Reporting by Alvise Armellini Editing by Keith Weir Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Archaeologists at Pompeii use artificial intelligence to reveal the face of one of the victims

ROME (AP) -- Archaeologists at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a victim of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history's most famous natural disasters. The digital portrait represents an older man who was among two victims discovered as they attempted to flee the city toward the coast of what is now Italy during the volcanic eruption. Researchers believe the man died earlier in the disaster, during a heavy fall of volcanic debris. The reconstruction was developed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park in collaboration with the University of Padua and is based on archaeological survey data from excavations near the Porta Stabia necropolis, just outside the walls of the ancient city. Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Naples, was buried under ash and pumice when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, preserving the city and thousands of its inhabitants in remarkable detail. Archaeologists found the victim holding a terracotta mortar, which they interpret as an improvised attempt to shield his head from falling lapilli, the small volcanic stones rained down during the eruption. Ancient accounts -- including those of Roman writer Pliny the Younger -- describe residents using objects to protect themselves as ash and debris blanketed the city. The man was also carrying an oil lamp, a small iron ring and 10 bronze coins, personal objects that offer insight into his final moments as well as daily life in Pompeii before the catastrophe. The digital portrait was created using artificial intelligence and photo-editing techniques designed to translate skeletal and archaeological data into a realistic human likeness. "The vastness of archaeological data is now such that only with the help of artificial intelligence will we be able to adequately protect and enhance them. If used well, AI can contribute to a renewal of classical studies," Pompeii park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement. The project aims to make archaeological research more accessible and emotionally engaging for the public while maintaining a scientific foundation, researchers said.

Pompeii archaeologists use AI to reconstruct man killed in volcano's eruption

ROME -- Archaeologists and researchers at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a man killed in the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history's most famous natural disasters. The digital portrait represents a man whose remains, along with those of another person, were discovered as they attempted to flee the city toward the coast of what is now Italy during the volcanic eruption. Researchers believe the man died early in the disaster, during a heavy fall of volcanic debris. The reconstruction was developed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, which announced on its website that it was done in collaboration with the University of Padua and based on archaeological survey data from excavations near the Porta Stabia necropolis, just outside the walls of the ancient city. The announcement shows the AI-generated illustration of what the man could have looked like. He is shown running along a rough, debris-covered road, holding a large, shallow bowl over his head and using it as a shield while Mount Vesuvius is seen erupting in the background. Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Naples, was buried under ash and pumice when the Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, preserving the city and the remains of thousands of its inhabitants in remarkable detail. Archaeologists found the man holding a terracotta mortar, which they interpreted as an improvised attempt to shield his head from falling small volcanic stones that rained down during the eruption. Ancient accounts -- including those of Roman writer Pliny the Younger -- describe Pompeii's residents using objects to protect themselves as ash and debris blanketed the city. The man was also carrying an oil lamp, a small iron ring and 10 bronze coins, personal objects that offer insight into his final moments as well as into daily life in Pompeii before the catastrophe. The digital portrait was created using AI and photo-editing techniques designed to translate skeletal and archaeological data into a realistic human likeness. "The vastness of archaeological data is now such that only with the help of artificial intelligence will we be able to adequately protect and enhance them. If used well, AI can contribute to a renewal of classical studies," Pompeii park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement. The project aims to make archaeological research more accessible and emotionally engaging for the public while maintaining a scientific foundation, researchers said.

Pompeii escape: AI reconstructs the last gesture of an eruption victim

In Pompeii, the stories of two men who died during the eruption of 79 AD resurface. Between escape, everyday objects and AI, the story of their last moments take shape... Lifting an earthenware mortar above your head to protect yourself from the rain of fire. It's an instinctive, desperate, almost primordial gesture. It was one of the last acts performed by a man fleeing during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, now reconstructed thanks to new excavations in the Porta Stabia necropolis in Pompeii. A fragment of life - and death. Two victims, two moments Excavations conducted in the area of the monumental tomb of Numerius Agrestinus Equitius Pulcher have brought to light the remains of two men who died during the catastrophe. Their positions and the condition of the bodies tell of two different phases of the eruption.The younger one was probably swept away by a pyroclastic current, a searing cloud of gas and ash capable of killing instantly. The second, more adult, died a few hours earlier, under an incessant rain of lapilli (material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption), while trying to get away from the city. Next to the body of the older man, archaeologists found an earthenware mortar with obvious signs of fracture. Everything suggests that he was using it for protection. Also with him were a ceramic oil lamp, probably for orientation in the darkness caused by the ash, an iron ring on his left little finger,and ten bronze coins. Everyday objects that become precious clues, as they tell of a lucid escape, organised as much as possible, in the chaos of an apocalypse. There's a surprising echo from ancient sources. Pliny the Younger, an eyewitness to the eruption, described fleeing people who "tied pillows over their heads" to protect themselves from falling debris. In Pompeii, for the first time, that description goes beyond words. Artificial intelligence enters the excavations of Pompeii From the remains also emerges a novelty that looks to the future: the use of artificial intelligence in archaeology. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii, in collaboration with the University of Padua, has created a digital reconstruction of the victim, based on data collected during the excavation. It is an experimental model that combines algorithms and photo-retouching techniques to return a scientifically based image that is accessible to all. AI: Between innovation and responsibility "Italy has historically always made classical culture a key ingredient of innovation," said Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. "In Pompeii, artificial intelligence helps not only in the protection of the immense archaeological heritage, but also in the engaging and accessible narration of ancient life." Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel is on the same wavelength: "The vastness of archaeological data is now such that only with the help of artificial intelligence will we be able to adequately protect and enhance them. If used well, AI can contribute to a renewal of classical studies." Luciano Floridi, founding director of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale, commented on the news: "The man from Pompeii fled with a mortar on his head, an oil lamp in his hand, and ten coins: he carried what he thought was useful for finding his way in the dark. Two thousand years later, AI helps us reconstruct his last moments. The case speaks to all humanities disciplines. AI does not replace the archaeologist. Under its control, it broadens and deepens its potential; and it makes accessible to many what was previously only legible to a few." Belgian-born French novelist Marguerite Yourcenar, in the notebooks of Hadrian's Memoirs, described her exercise as "one foot in erudition, the other in magic": the magic that consists in transporting oneself with thought into someone else. This is exactly what archaeology has always done: scientifically reconstructing a vanished world from within, and allowing us to imagine it. AI speeds up the rendering of that reconstruction, but the magic remains human. As for Professor Jacopo Bonetto of the University of Padua, he emphasises that AI is "a technology that can contribute to the production of interpretative models and to the improvement of communication tools, but which requires a controlled and methodologically founded use, always in integration with the work of specialists." This is precisely where the challenge lies: to use technology without losing rigour, to make the past accessible without betraying it. In Pompeii, once again, archaeology proves to be a living laboratory, capable of innovation and questioning. That man, with his mortar raised against the ashes, continues to speak to us: not as an abstract symbol, but as a real individual, caught in the most human moment of all - fighting to survive. No matter the odds.

Archaeologists at Pompeii Use Artificial Intelligence to Reveal the Face of One of the Victims

ROME (AP) -- Archaeologists at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a victim of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history's most famous natural disasters. The digital portrait represents an older man who was among two victims discovered as they attempted to flee the city toward the coast of what is now Italy during the volcanic eruption. Researchers believe the man died earlier in the disaster, during a heavy fall of volcanic debris. The reconstruction was developed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park in collaboration with the University of Padua and is based on archaeological survey data from excavations near the Porta Stabia necropolis, just outside the walls of the ancient city. Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Naples, was buried under ash and pumice when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, preserving the city and thousands of its inhabitants in remarkable detail. Archaeologists found the victim holding a terracotta mortar, which they interpret as an improvised attempt to shield his head from falling lapilli, the small volcanic stones rained down during the eruption. Ancient accounts -- including those of Roman writer Pliny the Younger -- describe residents using objects to protect themselves as ash and debris blanketed the city. The man was also carrying an oil lamp, a small iron ring and 10 bronze coins, personal objects that offer insight into his final moments as well as daily life in Pompeii before the catastrophe. The digital portrait was created using artificial intelligence and photo-editing techniques designed to translate skeletal and archaeological data into a realistic human likeness. "The vastness of archaeological data is now such that only with the help of artificial intelligence will we be able to adequately protect and enhance them. If used well, AI can contribute to a renewal of classical studies," Pompeii park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement. The project aims to make archaeological research more accessible and emotionally engaging for the public while maintaining a scientific foundation, researchers said.

Pompeii AI reconstruction: What a Vesuvius victim looked like nearly 2,000 years ago

Can you picture your final act on Earth being running with a salad bowl held high above your head? Well, that is essentially what some guy from Pompeii did when Mount Vesuvius decided to have its worst day ever in Roman history. Almost 2,000 years later, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, particularly AI, we finally know how that guy looked during those fateful moments. Also read: Microsoft's Sovereign AI cloud push and its India significance explained Researchers from the Pompeii Archaeological Park, along with help from the University of Padua, have used artificial intelligence to virtually recreate the face of one of the victims of Vesuvius. Turns out, he was an older guy, desperately running away from the city as he clutches onto a terracotta mortar held high above his head to protect himself from lapilli falling from the sky. Also read: AI coding agent nuked a company's entire database in 9 seconds, and took the backups with it The remains were unearthed during excavations near the Porta Stabia necropolis, just outside Pompeii's ancient city walls. He wasn't alone, a younger man was found nearby, believed to have been killed by a pyroclastic surge, the superheated wall of gas and ash that moves faster than most things alive. The older man likely died earlier, during the initial debris fall. Researchers also found him carrying an oil lamp, an iron ring, and ten bronze coins. He was going somewhere. He just never got there. What makes the reconstruction eemarkable isn't just the technology, it's the intent behind it. The Pompeii park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel put it well, "The vastness of archaeological data is now such that only with the help of AI will we be able to adequately protect and enhance them." Pompeii generates more historical data than any team of humans can process at human speed. AI isn't replacing the archaeologists here; it's keeping up with the site. As seen in the AI-generated image, the man is running through the debris-filled road holding the bowl high above his head, while Vesuvius is erupting in the background. It almost looks like a frame from a movie. But it was actually somebody's life. In 2025, Pompeii was the most popular UNESOCO destination in Italy, having recorded more than four million tourists to the historic place. Obviously, people just cannot get enough of a city in its worst state. And now that one of these tragic moments comes alive in a face looking straight into yours, it becomes somewhat harder to stop looking. Also read: OpenAI Symphony explained: How the open-source Codex orchestrator works