New Research

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

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

Ellen Wexler | Writer and Special Projects Editor

April 30, 2026

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When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., wreaking havoc on 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. The first victim, a man in his mid-30s, died soon after the eruption, as volcanic ash rained down on the city. The second, a man between the ages of 18 and 20, was likely killed by pyroclastic flows a few hours later.

The older man was found near a terracotta bowl. According to the researchers, who published their findings this week in the journal Scavi di Pompei, he may have used this artifact to protect his head. He was also carrying a small oil lamp. 

The researchers used artificial intelligence to create a digital reconstruction of the man’s attempted escape. In the image, he runs through streets strewn with debris, holding the bowl above his head. Mount Vesuvius’ eruption is visible in the background.

“If used well, artificial intelligence can contribute to a renewal of classical studies, illustrating the classical world in a more immersive way,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, says in a statement, per a translation by Reuters’ Alvise Armellini.

The skeletons were unearthed near the Porta Stabia necropolis, located outside Pompeii’s southern gates. Both men had likely attempted to escape the city and reach the coast. The younger victim appears to have survived the early stages of the eruption, and researchers think he attempted to flee the city during a brief respite in volcanic activity. But the lull didn’t last, and pyroclastic flows swept him away.

The older man was found curled up with his right arm raised, holding the bowl. The lamp was resting near his left hand. He wore an iron ring on one of his toes, and he carried ten bronze coins. As the researchers write in the study, this man likely fled with items that he thought would help him survive: money, light and shelter.

The scholars hope that the digital reconstruction will help bring the man’s story to life for the public. In collaboration with the University of Padua, they used several A.I. image-generation tools alongside photo editing techniques “designed to translate skeletal and archaeological data into a realistic human likeness,” according to the Associated Press’ Giada Zampano.

In the study, the researchers acknowledge that A.I.-generated images can flatten the nuances found in complex archaeological data, and that some scholars may find them to be too sensational, reminiscent of art from video games or comic books. At the same time, they argue that such illustrations will help immerse the public in the ancient city’s history.

For instance, they write, when scholars see an ancient peristyle (a row of columns), they instantly imagine the roof and garden that were once attached. When they walk through the ruins of Pompeii’s streets, they picture the upper floors, staircases and balconies that were lost to history. But this instinct isn’t automatic for general audiences—and when so much archaeological work is financed by donations and admission fees, helping the public picture the past is vital.

“A.I. will not replace archaeology,” Luciano Floridi, founding director of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale University, says in the statement, per a translation by the Telegraph’s Nick Squires. “It just expands and enhances the possibilities.”

The researchers used ChatGPT Pro to generate the image and Adobe Photoshop to edit it, though they haven’t elaborated on precisely how the rendering reflects the archaeological findings. They also turned to Nano Banana Pro to generate the environmental details, like the debris in the background.

In recent years, scholars have used A.I. in other ways to shed light on the 79 C.E. eruption. The disaster preserved a library filled with hundreds of ancient scrolls in the nearby town of Herculaneum, and researchers have turned to machine-learning models to decipher their contents. A.I. has also revealed new details about artifacts from other eras, helping historians read medieval graffiti and identify figures from World War II-era photographs.

Elsewhere, experts have long created facial reconstructions of historical figures. Many of them, however, involve meticulous measurements based on scanned skeletal remains. They’re often the work of skilled forensic artists, who use DNA analysis to add details like hair and eye color.

Ellen Wexler | | Read More

Ellen Wexler is a staff writer and special projects editor, digital, for Smithsonian magazine.