In a shocking discovery, the scientists have now hinted that “The Two Maidens” who have been found tragically clutching each other in the ruins of Pompeii were probably gay lovers.
The people of Pompeii had died tragically after Mount Vesuvius erupted 2,000 years ago and their preserved bodies have been telling tragic tales of their final moments.
The bodies hugging each other were given the name “The Two Maidens” because they were trapped in an eternal embrace.
However, the bodies’ new DNA analysis suggested that probably the pair needs a new name.
Here’s what scientists found
In the new DNA analysis, the researchers from the Max Planck Institute have found that at least one, if not both of them, was a man.
One of the authors of the study, David Reich said, “A pair of individuals thought to be sisters, or mother and daughter, were found to include at least one genetic male. These findings challenge traditional gender and familial assumptions.”
Even though the true nature of their relationship is unclear, as per experts they can be gay lovers.
Superintendent of the Pompeii archaeological site Massimo Osanna said, “The fact that they were lovers is a hypothesis that cannot be dismissed.”
Earlier, it was believed that the two of them were mother and daughter, two sisters or lovers. However, the new discovery that one of them was a man has challenged this theory.
In the study, the researchers stated, “CT scanning of skeletal elements preserved within the casts led to an age estimate of 14–19 for individual 21 and a young adult age for individual 22.”
The experts had even earlier said that their relationship can “never be verified”.
“When this discovery was made, that they were not two young girls, some scholars suggested there could have been an emotional connection between the pair,” said Professor Stefano Vanacore, who headed a research team which examined the pair back in 2017.
“But we are talking about hypotheses that can never be verified. What is certain is that the two parties were not relatives, neither brothers nor a father and son,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)