Preserved Pompeii Man Seems To Be Doing Something Very NSFW

What would you do if you realised that your time on this earth was about to end abruptly because of a biblically-proportioned volcanic eruption?

Judging by some of the many people preserved at the site of old Roman city Pompeii, it appears that some hugged while others simply just laid down on the ground and seemingly accepted their fate.

Credit: PA

But when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, one Roman chap had clearly decided he wasn't going out of this world without a bit of pleasure. Twitter user PersianRose1 has uploaded this incredible picture during a visit to the famous volcanic site:

The 'masturbating man' has, of course, gone viral, with nearly 50,000 likes and 24,000 retweets.

This gentleman was found among more than 1,000 bodies in and around Pompeii, but it's still unclear as to what actually killed them. Some died from roofs collapsing or rocks falling from the volcano; others simply suffocated, or were incinerated by blasts of hot gas from the eruption.

I Fucking Love Science speculates that the 'masturbating man' was one of the 'lucky ones' who were killed instantly, as there's a lack of debris around his body and he's not shielding his face.

The eruption at Mount Vesuvius is believed to have happened in 79 AD over the course of two days, shooting ash and rock 15-30km (49-98,000 feet) high, which then rained down on Pompeii and nearby areas.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/PersianRose1

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie