The remains of the man who was between 40 and 45 years old were found a stone’s throw from where the shoreline was at the time. “He was found with his head towards the sea,” Sirano said. The archaeologist believes the man was knocked over by the burning ash cloud spewed from the volcano and from which he tried to flee.
“His last moments must have been terrible,” Sirano says. “It was 1:00 am when the first burning ash cloud reached the city, with a temperature of 300 to 400 degrees and according to some studies even 500 to 700 degrees. A boiling cloud that reached a speed of about 100 kilometers per hour. moved toward the sea and it was so dense that all the oxygen was gone.”
Fabric and metal
The site was last excavated 25 years ago. Then more than 300 people were found on the spot where in ancient times the sandy beach was. They might have waited there for the naval fleet of the Roman scholar and commander Pliny the Elder to take them to safety. According to Sirano, the man who has now been found may also have been a helper of Pliny who was on the lookout.
To learn more about the find, a large piece of lava rock containing the skeleton is cut out and taken to a laboratory for further research. In addition to the skeleton, traces of tissue and metal have also been found. “It could be a bag of tools, or weapons and coins,” Sirano suggests.
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