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This Man Fled Pompeii as Mount Vesuvius Erupted. Archaeologists Found Him 2,000 Years Later, Holding a Bowl to Protect His Head and a Lamp to Light His Way

Smithsonian Magazine·Ellen Wexler·about 1 month ago
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Recent excavations revealed two skeletons just outside the ancient city’s walls. Researchers also created an A.I.-generated reconstruction of one of the victim’s harrowing final moments April 30, 2026 11:10 a.m. The man in his 30s was found just outside Pompeii's gates. Archaeological Park of Pompeii When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., wreaking havoc the city of Pompeii, a man now known as Pliny the Younger watched the disaster unfold from Misenum , across the Bay of Naples. He later recalled the horrors he’d witnessed in a letter , describing how the city’s inhabitants had “tied pillows on top of their heads as protection against the shower of rock.” Even as dawn arrived, they carried torches to see through the darkness, which was “darker and thicker than any night.” Now, archaeologists have uncovered two skeletons outside the ancient city’s walls that reflect these details from Pliny’s account.…

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