claim: A photograph shows the remains of a man who died while masturbating in Pompeii in 79 A.D.
origin: A photograph purportedly showing the remains of a man who perished during the volcanic eruption that destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii in 79 A.D. was postedÂ in July 2017 along with the caption â€œmasturbating manâ€: Although this is a real â€” though slightly doctored â€” image showing a plaster cast of a man who perished in Pompeii, the juvenile caption caused many to second-guess the imageâ€™s authenticity.Â The original photograph, which was in color, was posted on the Instagram page of theÂ Archaeological Heritage of Naples and Pompeii on 9 June 2017: < Calco in gesso di una vittima dellâ€™eruzione. Ph Direttore Generale Prof. Massimo Osanna #Pompei #Pompeii #PompeiiTempusVita Plaster cast of a victim of the eruption. Ph General Manager Prof. Massimo Osanna #Pompei #Pompeii #PompeiiTempusVita > The caption did not mention that this man was masturbating in his last moments. In fact, this pose hints at something far more terrifying. When Mount Vesuvius erupted, it sent a surge of super-heated volcanic material through the city of Pompeii. About 2000 people were killed and the city was buried in a thick carpet of volcanic ash. The heat was so intense that many of the victims suffered sudden muscle contractions and were left frozen in aÂ boxer-like, crouching pose: < The famous lifelike poses of many victims at Pompeiiâ€”seated with face in hands, crawling, kneeling on a motherâ€™s lapâ€”are helping to lead scientists toward a new interpretation of how these ancient Romans died in the A.D. 79 eruptions of Italyâ€™s Mount Vesuvius. Until now itâ€™s been widely assumed that most of the victims were asphyxiated by volcanic ash and gas. But a recent study says most died instantly of extreme heat, with many casualties shocked into a sort of instant rigor mortis. [â€¦] And then there are those death postures. About three-quarters of the known Pompeii victims are â€œfrozen in suspended actionsâ€ and show evidence of sudden muscle contractions, such as curled toes, the study says. â€œHeretofore archaeologists misinterpreted them as people struggling to breathe and believed they died suffocated by ashes,â€ Mastrolorenzo said. â€œNow we know that couldnâ€™t be.â€ Because of the extreme heat, â€œwhen the pyroclastic surge hit Pompeii, there was no time to suffocate,â€ he said. â€œThe contorted postures are not the effects of a long agony, but of the cadaveric spasm, a consequence of heat shock on corpses.â€ > The pose is not entirely unique among Pompeii victims. This image, taken in 2013 by Flickr user Paul Kelley, shows another victim in a similar position: Â