Ten minutes into the new Hiddleston Pompeii series the show portrays a Black…

Brief

StutteringCraig, visiting Pompeii, criticizes the new Hiddleston series for depicting a Black bronzesmith family as historical in 79 AD. He notes Pompeii’s ~15,000 residents show mostly Italian/eastern Mediterranean ancestry with some North African individuals, says Africans were a tiny, usually enslaved minority, and insists there’s no evidence of Black skilled bronzesmiths—call it fiction, not history.

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Pompeii had about 15,000 residents; DNA studies show mostly Italian and eastern Mediterranean ancestry with some North African presence, while Africans were a tiny minority, almost always enslaved in domestic or exotic roles.

The author asserts there is zero evidence of Africans working as skilled craftsmen like bronzesmiths in Pompeii and calls the likelihood of a Black bronzesmith with a family there “extremely low,” arguing casting is fine but should not be presented as historical fact.

Just visited Pompeii for the first time this Summer. Been fascinated by it since I was a kid, so I was interested in the new Hiddleston series

Ten minutes in to the show there's a black bronzesmith portrayed as a real family in 79 AD Pompeii, and the show opens with “This is a history”

Pompeii had about 15k people living in it. DNA shows mostly Italian & eastern Mediterranean ancestry, some North African. Africans were a tiny minority, almost always slaves in domestic or exotic roles. There is zero evidence of them as skilled craftsmen like bronzesmiths

Likelihood of a Black bronzesmith with a family there? Extremely low

Cast whoever you want just don’t sell it as history

There will be folks who say "why does it matter?!"

You're right: why does it matter? Just be accurate in the first place

Brief

Why it matters

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