The catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD had devastating consequences for Pompeii. Houses, roads, but above all men were swept away by the destructive fury of the mountain they considered their friend.
It was a horrible fate for the many Pompeians who could not escape death, swept away by the ash, lapilli, and the very powerful pyroclastic flow.
The harshest testimony to what really happened on that October 24, 79 A.D., comes from the discovery of the torn and mangled bodies of the men, women and children found during the excavations. Such as the skeleton of Pompeii’s most unluckiest man or the last escapee, found headless in Regio V in 2018.
The man according to reconstructions would have tried in every way to escape death. But due to a severe bone infection in his leg his race to escape was slowed, preventing him from escaping already at the first dramatic signs announcing the eruption.
This is why he has been nicknamed the unluckiest man in Pompeii by archaeologists, because probably if he had not had walking problems, he might have been saved.
Where the body of the fugitive was found
The unfortunate escapee was found at the intersection of Silver Wedding Alley and Balcony Alley.
According to the reconstruction he attempted to reach the alley, by then invaded by the thick blanket of lapilli, in the hope of saving himself. But he was suffocated by the ash and dust of the powerful pyroclastic flow. Only later was he swept away by a large block of stone that literally took off his head, crushing his chest.
Initially, with the discovery of only the headless body, it was assumed that the man had died being swept away by the stone.
But with the discovery of the skull of the unlucky man from Pompeii, light has been shed on what really happened. The latter, in fact, died not by being crushed but by asphyxiation. His head was found with his mouth completely open, a sign of a vain attempt to breathe.
Who was the unfortunate fugitive
Unfortunate escapee from Pompeii was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, between 30 and 40 years old. And he had a bad leg; in fact, skeletal examination found signs of a bone infection at the level of the tibia.
It was precisely the severe pain in his leg that would have slowed his run for safety. He probably trudged laboriously through the alleys now covered by more than two meters of lapilli, but the pyroclastic flow hit him full force, leaving him no escape.
After he died of asphyxiation from the boiling heat of the dust, he was run over by a huge boulder, which crushed his chest, leaving him headless.
Other Pompeians who died during the eruption
It was a horrible end that affected not only the last escapee, but most of the population of Pompeii. So many died of asphyxiation following the arrival of the pyroclastic flow.
The 13 members of an entire family, women, men and children, found in the garden of the fugitives, are also a testimony to this. They too tried in vain to escape from the falling lapilli, but they all died when the powerful pyroclastic flow arrived. The gases, water vapor at very high temperatures, incinerated and broke the lives of all of them who were escaping.
They died side by side, and there lie the bodies of this family, reconstructed through the method of casts, displayed today in a vitrine in the very famous garden of the fugitives.
What to admire in Pompeii
Pompeii then, is not only streets, houses, theaters and paintings to be admired, but it is much more. It is the stories of those who lived there, those who died trying to escape, and those who stayed there because they were tied to their homes. Visiting Pompeii with a tour guide is this and much more. It is discovering the lives and stories of those who lived there, those who tried hard to save themselves.
In your visit to Pompeii, do not linger only to admire the magnificent paintings left by Pompeians, but be guided by an expert guide, in the places that tell about Pompeii and Pompeians.
