How people died in Pompeii: AI reveals final hours of Vesuvius victims
For the first time, artificial intelligence has been used in Pompeii to reconstruct the final hours of a person who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The project was carried out in cooperation with the University of Padua and is based on archaeological research conducted by specialists from Italy’s Ministry of Culture. The digital reconstruction was created using AI software and photo-editing techniques, resulting in a scientifically grounded yet accessible image for a broad audience.
The reconstruction focuses on a man whose remains were discovered in the Porta Stabia necropolis. According to archaeologists, he died during heavy ashfall while attempting to protect himself from volcanic debris. A terracotta vessel was found next to the body, believed to have been used to shield his head from falling lapilli and fragments.
Another victim, a younger man, was likely killed by a pyroclastic flow, a hot mixture of gas and ash that engulfed the city at a later stage of the eruption.
In addition, artifacts found during the excavations, including a ceramic lamp, an iron ring, and several bronze coins, help reconstruct the conditions faced by Pompeii’s residents during the catastrophe.
“Methodologies grounded in innovation and applied with scientific rigor can open up new historical perspectives and improve the way knowledge is shared,” said Italy’s Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli.
“The sheer volume of archaeological data in Pompeii has reached a point where only the use of artificial intelligence will allow us to properly preserve and interpret it,” added the director of the archaeological park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan has developed an AI-powered interactive map of underground minerals, highlighting the growing use of artificial intelligence in scientific research.
