POMPEII VICTIM WAS CARRYING CASH IN COINS

ROME An unfortunate citizen of Pompeii who was crushed by a giant slab of stone as he tried to flee the erupting Mount Vesuvius was carrying a “treasure trove” of silver and bronze coins when he died, archeologists say. The man, partially buried beneath the 300-kilogram rock, was found this week, in a “dramatic and exceptional discovery.” Archeologists believe the man, in his 30s, was fleeing the AD 79 eruption but was impeded by an infection in his leg bone. Beneath his skeleton, experts found the remains of a leather pouch he had been carrying when a stone door jamb, dislodged by the volcanic eruption, tumbled from above and crushed him. The pouch contained 22 silver and bronze coins worth 80 sestertii, enough to sustain a family of three for at least a fortnight.