Archaeologists at Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a man who died in the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The portrait shows an older victim found among two people discovered as they tried to flee the city toward the coast.
Researchers believe the man died earlier in the disaster, likely under a heavy fall of volcanic debris. He was found near the Porta Stabia necropolis just outside the ancient city walls, holding a terracotta mortar that archaeologists interpret as an improvised shield against falling lapilli. He was also carrying an oil lamp, a small iron ring and 10 bronze coins.
The reconstruction was developed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park with the University of Padua, using archaeological survey data from excavations near Porta Stabia. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, who leads the park, said the amount of archaeological data is now so large that only artificial intelligence will allow researchers to protect and enhance it properly, adding that if it is used well, AI can help renew classical studies.
The project is meant to make archaeological research more accessible and emotionally engaging without losing its scientific base, and it arrives after last year’s discovery of evidence pointing to the reoccupation of Pompeii following the eruption. Italy’s culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, said Pompeii is among the most prestigious places in the world for archaeological research and that new discoveries there illuminate the story of ancient life. He also said the excavations show how innovative methods, used carefully, can open new historical perspectives.
The setting gives the reconstruction its force. 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. Ancient accounts, including those of Pliny the Younger, describe residents trying to protect themselves with whatever they could grab as ash and debris fell over the city. The new portrait does not solve every mystery around the man’s final hours, but it does put a face on one of the disaster’s victims and shows how AI is now being folded into the work of archaeology at Pompeii.
