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Plaster cast of Pompeii eruption victims in embrace, House of the Cryptoporticus 79 AD

Pompeii Kissing Couple Bodies: What DNA Testing Revealed

••10 min read
ArchaeologyPompeii HistoryVisitor Guide

Quick Answer & Key Findings: The Pompeii “Kissing Couple” — also called the Two Maidens, the Two Lovers, or simply the Pompeii couple — refers to two plaster casts of eruption victims found close together in 1914 in the House of the Cryptoporticus. Their pose has long been interpreted as an embrace, but it does not establish a relationship. A 2024 DNA study in Current Biology identified Individual 22 as genetically male, while the available data did not resolve the genetic sex of Individual 21. Their different mitochondrial lineages are consistent with no shared maternal relationship.

Pompeii kissing couple: facts vs. the popular story

Question Evidence-based answer
Were they really kissing? No evidence proves a kiss. “Kissing Couple” is a later nickname based on the position in which the casts were found.
Were they both male? No. DNA identified Individual 22 as genetically male; the genetic sex of Individual 21 was not resolved.
Were they lovers? Unknown. Neither their position nor the DNA can establish a romantic relationship.
Were they related? Not maternally. Their mitochondrial lineages differ, which rules out a shared mother but not every other kinship.
Are the casts real bodies? They are plaster casts poured into the voids that real victims left in the volcanic deposits; bone can remain inside.
Can you see them on a visit? Not guaranteed. The Park does not promise a fixed public display location for this specific pair.

The "Kissing Couple" of Pompeii (also widely known as the "Pompeii couple" or "The Two Maidens") is a famous pair of plaster casts made from two figures found close together in volcanic deposits. They were discovered in 1914 in the House of the Cryptoporticus.

For decades, popular accounts assumed the figures were two women. However, a landmark 2024 DNA study identified Individual 22 as genetically male, while the study did not resolve the genetic sex of Individual 21.

The DNA study also confirmed they did not share the same maternal lineage. While this rules out a shared mother, their exact relationship—whether friends, relatives, or romantic partners sheltering together—remains unresolved.

Image note: This is a real Pompeii plaster cast shown as a representative example. It is not a photograph of the pair known as the Two Maidens or the Pompeii Kissing Couple.

Who were the Pompeii kissing couple (the Two Maidens)?

Excavators found nine victims in the House of the Cryptoporticus in 1914 and made casts of four of them. Two casts, catalogued in the recent study as Individuals 21 and 22, lay close together. Their position encouraged later descriptions such as the “Pompeii couple,” the “Two Maidens,” the “embracing couple,” and the “kissing couple.”

Those names are interpretations, not identities recorded in Roman evidence. The primary study describes Individual 21 as an adolescent estimated at 14–19 years old and Individual 22 as a young adult. It does not give the neat “18 and 20” ages repeated by some travel pages.

What did the 2024 DNA study actually find?

Researchers sampled skeletal material preserved inside several casts and combined ancient-DNA work with earlier CT evidence. For this pair, the defensible findings are:

  • Nuclear DNA identified Individual 22 as genetically male.
  • The available data did not resolve the genetic sex of Individual 21.
  • The pair had different mitochondrial lineages, so they were not maternally related.
  • Their position alone cannot establish whether they were partners, relatives, friends, or strangers sheltering together.

Mitochondrial DNA follows the maternal line. Ruling out a shared maternal relationship does not exclude every possible biological relationship, and it says nothing by itself about affection or romance. The study's broader lesson is that stories based on appearance, jewelry, clothing, or body position can be persuasive without being scientifically secure.

Read the peer-reviewed study in Current Biology or the Max Planck Institute's research summary for the researchers' wording.

What the Pompeii DNA Study Did Not Prove

The study did not establish that the two people were romantic partners, that both were male, or that they were unrelated in every possible way. It clarified genetic sex for Individual 22 and ruled out a shared maternal lineage, but their personal relationship remains unknown.

Are the Pompeii kissing couple statues real?

Yes, but they are not carved statues. They are plaster casts made by pouring liquid plaster into the hollow cavities left in the volcanic ash after the victims' bodies decomposed. This technique, invented by Giuseppe Fiorelli, captured their final moments in the 79 AD eruption.

Where are the two lovers of Pompeii located?

They were found in the House of the Cryptoporticus inside Pompeii Archaeological Park, but this specific pair does not have a guaranteed permanent public display location.

The pair was found in the House of the Cryptoporticus within the Pompeii archaeological park. The Park lists a permanent casts exhibition in the Large Palaestra and casts at the Garden of the Fugitives, but it does not promise a fixed public location for this particular pair. Check its current visitor information before planning a visit around a cast display.

Were the two lovers in Pompeii a couple?

While they are famously called "The Lovers," their exact relationship is unknown. Mitochondrial DNA testing proved they did not share a maternal lineage. However, archaeology and genetics cannot determine whether they were friends, relatives, or romantic partners.

Their close position led to the lovers story. However, it is impossible to know whether they knew one another, let alone whether any relationship was romantic.

Were they really kissing or embracing?

No surviving evidence proves a kiss. The two people were found close together, but a final body position can be shaped by the way people sheltered, the collapse and accumulation of volcanic material, and the casting process itself. Archaeologists can document the position; they cannot reconstruct a private relationship from that pose alone.

“Kissing couple” remains a useful search term because it is how many people encounter the story. It should not be presented as an archaeological conclusion.

Are the Pompeii bodies real?

The victims were real people, but the familiar figures you see today are not petrified bodies or carved statues.

After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, organic material decayed inside compacted volcanic deposits and left hollow cavities. Starting in 1863, Giuseppe Fiorelli's team poured plaster into some of those voids.

This technique preserved the exact impressions of their posture, clothing, and other surface details. While bones can remain inside a cast, the plaster exterior itself is not a literal body.

The Archaeological Park reports remains from more than 1,000 victims and a little over 100 casts. For a broader explanation — including what CT scanning found inside the casts and which other famous captions the 2024 DNA study overturned — see our guide to the Pompeii plaster casts.

Where can you see the Two Maidens in Pompeii?

Do not plan a visit around a promise that this specific pair will be in the Antiquarium or another fixed room. Casts are vulnerable archaeological objects, and displays can change for conservation, exhibitions, and building closures.

Before visiting:

  1. Check the Park's current open-buildings list.
  2. Read the official overview of how the casts were made and preserved.
  3. Ask at the information point which cast displays are accessible that day.
  4. Treat the figures as records of real disaster victims, not as a staged romantic attraction.

The Garden of the Fugitives and cast exhibitions can help visitors understand the method and the human cost of the eruption, but access and display arrangements may change. Our current ticket guide explains entry rules, and the visitor guide helps with route planning.

Frequently asked questions

Were both of the Two Maidens male?

The 2024 study established that Individual 22 was genetically male. It did not resolve the genetic sex of Individual 21. Statements that DNA proved both people were men go beyond the published evidence.

Were the Pompeii kissing couple lovers?

There is no evidence that establishes a romantic relationship. Their close position inspired the story, but archaeology and DNA cannot identify what relationship, if any, they had.

Were the two people related?

Their different mitochondrial genomes rule out a shared maternal relationship. That finding does not exclude every other kind of kinship.

Can visitors always see this exact pair?

No. Cast displays and building access can change for conservation or exhibitions. Check the Archaeological Park's current open-buildings information and ask staff on arrival.

Is the hero image the kissing couple?

No. It is a representative photograph of a real Pompeii plaster cast. We use it instead of a misleading reconstruction and label it clearly because a generic cast should not be passed off as the Two Maidens.

Research checked: 28 August 2026. The DNA findings on this page refer to the 2024 Current Biology study; exhibition access can change, so confirm current display information with Pompeii Archaeological Park before visiting.

Primary sources

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