Even centuries later, one of the world's most famous catastrophes continues to yield amazing discoveries that also somehow tap into our love of the macabre. On Tuesday, archaeologists revealed they had discovered the skeleton of a victim who died attempting to flee the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD but was ultimately killed when a gigantic stone landed on his upper body. The archaeologists noted that the man was around 30 years old and likely suffered from a bone infection that would have hampered his escape, thus dooming him to eventual death despite the fact he seems to have survived the first explosions of the eruption. #Pompeii The thorax was crushed by a block of stone, the body hurled back by the force of the pyroclastic flow, in a desperate attempt to flee the fury of the eruption. The first victim which emerges in the site of the new excavations of Regio V, does so in this dramatic position pic.twitter.com/qHZCS0W0Zd — Pompeii Sites (@pompeii_sites) May 29, 2018 On the one hand, it's an unimaginably terrible way to die, a tragic scene that's forever frozen in time. On the other, it's straight out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, something so awful one can't help but laugh in disbelief — take this line from NPR's report: "The skeleton's head has not been located, but archaeologists believe it is probably crushed beneath the stone block." And, boy, did the internet waste no time in identifying with this poor soul. [extremely alanis morisette voice] it’s like a large slaaaaab of stone / when you’ve just survived the initial eruption of mount vesuvius https://t.co/27yIqAtwL2 — ms. chanandler bong (@isamyelyah) May 29, 2018 imagine being struck by a large slab of stone after surviving the eruption of vesuvius to become a meme more than 2000 years later. that's what i call punk rock — st. vicious (@aquestionofIust) May 30, 2018 Me to a panicked group of Archaeologists moments after I drop a big ass rock on a perfectly preserved Pompeii skeleton: Chill. Let me talk to the press. I've got this. https://t.co/jH0Vwlf3LY — Patrick Gill (@Pizza_Suplex) May 29, 2018 Bae: come over Me: cant. I survived the initial eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D., only to be killed struck by a large slab of stone Bae: my parents aren’t home Me: pic.twitter.com/VbSO6MwsQ8 — Patrick Gill (@Pizza_Suplex) May 30, 2018 a bigger mood does not exist https://t.co/GgV7B2RBcX — maya kosoff (@mekosoff) May 29, 2018 A fellow was fleeing Pompeii & felt he had gotten away. But then came the shock Of a tumbling rock, Which is crushing his skull still today. — Limericking (@Limericking) May 30, 2018 Archaeologists also found what was apparently a horse and stable, but there's really nothing that can compare to the doomed man.<doc-sep>But the force of the erupting gas and rock also picked up an enormous rock - which experts think might have been a door jamb (the vertical part of a door frame) - and hurled it at the victim, crushing his upper body near the throat and possibly removing his head, which is missing.<doc-sep>The ancient artifacts are lined up on display. On the far right is a bronze of the widely worshiped Hindu deity Ganesha, with his elephant head and multiple upper limbs. He is thought to be over 1,000 years old. CAIRO, EGYPT - OCTOBER 21: Camels and horses stand tied to a fence below the Great Pyramid of Giza on October 21, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. The Pyramids of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and built around 2600 B.C., are one of Egypt's major tourist drawcards. After a summer of violence, tourist numbers across Egypt are at their lowest levels since a 2010 peak in tourism in the country. While Egypt's tourism sector took a dive following the popular uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in early 2011, occupancy rates of hotels in the capital Cairo and across Egypt have been reported as dramatically down since the Egyptian military's overthrow of President Morsi in July. In 2010, tourism represented 13% of Egypt's economy and employed one in seven of the country's workers. (Photo by Ed Giles/Getty Images). On the heels of the discovery of the oldest human remains ever found outside of Africa, here are some other fascinating archaeological finds of the past few years. (CNN) — A man managed to escape the first eruptive fury of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, only to be crushed beneath a block of stone hurled by an explosive volcanic cloud, new excavations at the site suggest. Archeologists working at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy, found the man’s remains almost 2,000 years after he died. Stunning pictures from the scene show a skeleton pinned beneath the stone. The impact crushed the top of the man’s body. His head might still be buried beneath the block of stone. Lesions on the skeleton’s tibia are signs of a bone infection that probably hampered the man’s escape attempt, archeologists said. Nonetheless, the man, who was at least 30 years old, survived the first phase of the eruption and fled along an alley, probably limping because of his infection. Stone might have been doorjamb But there he was hit by the massive stone block – perhaps a doorjamb – possibly hurled at him by the force of the pyroclastic flow. That’s the blazing-hot mixture of gas, lava fragments and other debris belched out by a volcano. “This discovery has shown the leaps in the archeological field. The team on site are not just archeologists but experts in many fields; engineers, restorers and (have) the technical tools like drones and 3D scanners. “Now we have the possibility to rebuild the space as it once was,” said Massimo Osanna, general director of the Archeological Park of Pompeii. “This is the first time an excavation happens with all of these tools. In the 1800s and 1900s, they dug in the area where we found the skeleton, but they did not go as deep as we did. Because of the experts we had, we knew how to do it.”<doc-sep>LONDON — The man, believed to be in his 30s, was fleeing the spectacular explosion of Mount Vesuvius that buried the Italian city of Pompeii in A.D. 79. He had an infection of the tibia that may have made walking difficult, archaeologists say. So while he fled the first furious eruption, when the volcano fully rumbled to life after being dormant for more than 1,500 years, he did not get very far. The man died not in contorted agony, buried in pumice and ash, but by decapitation from a large block of stone that had most likely been propelled through the air by volcanic gases, crushing his thorax and his head. Officials at the Pompeii archaeological site announced on Tuesday that they had found the man’s remains, almost 2,000 years after he died. They released a photograph showing the skeleton protruding from beneath a large block of stone, believed to have been a door jamb that had been “violently thrown by the volcanic cloud.”<doc-sep>
Almost 2,000 years after its destruction, the ancient city of Pompeii is still yielding new discoveries. Archaeologists at the historic site have uncovered a new skeleton of a man who was fleeing the city ahead of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, only to be crushed to death by a falling stone. Archaeologists believe the man, thought to be in his thirties, was slowed down by a bone infection in his leg, according to the New York Times. Spared from the fate of so many of Pompeii’s citizens, who suffocated to death, frozen in time as they were buried by the volcano’s ashes, the man nonetheless met a gruesome end. Turning behind him to face the explosion of pyroclastic flow—lava, hot ash, and gases—the man was suddenly decapitated by a massive block of stone, a deadly projectile sent hurling through the air by the powerful eruption. “This exceptional find,” said Massimo Osanna, the director of the Parco Archeologico di Pompei, in a statement. “Beyond the emotional impact of these discoveries, [they]…contribute toward an increasingly accurate picture of the history and civilization of the age.” The announcement speculated that the stone, “violently thrown by the volcanic cloud,” was “perhaps a door jamb.” The man’s headless body was found in the Regio V section of the Pompeii site, near the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of Marcus Lucretius Fronto. The area has remained largely unexcavated over the centuries; archaeologists began working there in March. Earlier this month, researchers also announced another new discovery at a separate Pompeii archaeology site, in Civita Giuliana. There, according to the Local, they found the remains of a horse that died in the eruption and were subsequently able to make a full cast of the animal. The site, identified as a stable, also contained kitchen tools and a grave built after Vesuvius erupted, providing evidence that people continued to live in the area following the blast. One of history’s most famous natural disasters, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is thought to have killed some 2,000 people, destroying the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The state of the ruins of Pompeii has been cause for concern in recent years, with the ancient buildings continuing to deteriorate. The Great Pompeii Project, headed by Osanna, was started in 2012 with an initial budget of €105 million ($140 million) aimed at conserving the historic sites. It has hit many speed bumps along the way, but an initial 2015 restoration deadline was extended to ensure its much-needed work would be completed. Follow Artnet News on Facebook: