AI-generated image of Pompeii man fleeing eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is part of a project to make archaeological research more accessible to the public.
Archaeologists at Pompeii have used artificial intelligence to digitally reconstruct the face of a victim of the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius, offering a vivid new perspective on 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 towards the coast during the volcanic eruption.
Researchers believe the man died early in the disaster, during a heavy fall of ash and lapilli.
Excavations conducted in the area of the monumental tomb of Numerius Agrestinus Equitius Pulcher brought to light the remains of two men who died during the catastrophe.
Doomed escape
Their positions and the condition of the bodies indicate two different phases of the eruption: the younger man was probably swept away by a pyroclastic current, while the older man died several hours earlier under a rain of lapilli as he tried to escape the city.
Archaeologists found the older man holding a terracotta mortar, interpreted as an improvised attempt to shield his head from falling volcanic stones. Ancient accounts – including those of Roman writer Pliny the Younger – describe residents using objects to protect themselves as volcanic debris blanketed the city.
He was also carrying a ceramic oil lamp, probably for orientation in the darkness caused by the ash, and ten bronze coins.
Digital portrait
The reconstruction was developed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park in collaboration with the University of Padua.
The digital portrait was created using AI and photo-editing techniques designed to translate skeletal and archaeological data into a realistic human likeness.
The project aims to make archaeological research more accessible and emotionally engaging for the public while maintaining a scientific foundation.
Pompeii park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel stated that the volume of archaeological data is now such that AI assistance will be essential to adequately protect and enhance the site’s heritage, and that if used well, it can contribute to “a renewal of classical studies, illustrating the classical world in a more immersive way”.
Debate
The announcement sparked debate from scholars on the ethical dimensions of the technology.
Luciano Floridi, founding director of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale, welcomed the development but cautioned that AI produces hypotheses rather than truths, and that scientific responsibility cannot be delegated.
Professor Jacopo Bonetto of the University of Padua similarly stressed that the technology requires controlled and methodologically grounded use, always integrated with the work of specialists.
Photo: Pompeii Archaeological Park
