POMPEII VICTIM CARRYING NEARLY $800 IN LOOSE CHANGE

An unfortunate citizen of Pompeii 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 attempting to flee the eruption in AD 79 but was impeded by an infection in his leg bone. Experts excavating beneath his skeleton found the remains of a leather pouch he had been carrying when a stone door jamb, dislodged by the force of the volcanic eruption, tumbled from above and crushed him. The pouch he carried contained 22 silver and bronze coins which together were worth 80 sestertii, equivalent to around $800 in today’s money.