Archaeologists have found the remains of a man who tried to escape during the eruption of Vesuvius

Skeletal remains were discovered near a stone wall located along an ancient embankment. This is the first

discovery of the victim of Vesuvius in Herculaneum forthe last 25 years. The bones belonged to a man about 40 years old. He may have died during the final stages of the eruption, when gas and ash, called a pyroclastic flow, rushed through the city at speeds of more than 100 km/h. According to excavation director Francesco Sirano, the temperature of the stream was 500 °C.

Herculaneum is located between Vesuvius and the sea,closer to the volcano than the more famous Pompeii. When Vesuvius began to make a roar and spew out flames, the inhabitants of Herculaneum began to evacuate. Many ended up on the beach awaiting rescue from the sea. In the 1980s and 1990s, archaeologists discovered hundreds of skeletons perched in boat sheds along the coastline. People apparently took refuge in sheds when the volcano entered the last stage of its eruption. There is debate among experts about how quickly most of the victims died and what exactly happened to them.

New remains were found near the cityvolcanic stone dams. According to archaeologists at the excavation, the researchers found a skeleton lying head-down to the sea, surrounded by a charred tree. A large roof beam found next to the body could have shattered a man's skull.

It is unclear who this man was and what he didwas studying. He may have been a city resident who left the shelter in search of a rescue boat. Or he could have been a soldier involved in a rescue mission who ended up being among those he was trying to save.

The archaeological team is now planning to remove the layerhardened ash that covers the victim's body, and then excavate the skeleton in the laboratory. Fragments of metal and cloth near the skeleton can be a bag of tools, weapons, or coins. Examining the contents of the bag could help identify the person and shed light on what he valued when he tried to escape.

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