The skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a rich man and his male slave fleeing the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago have been discovered in Pompeii, officials at the archaeological park said Saturday.

(AP)

The partial skeletons were found during the excavation of an elegant villa on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption in 79 A.D. It& #39;s the same area where a stable with the remains of three harnessed horses was excavated in 2017.

(AP)

Pompeii officials said the two men apparently escaped the initial fall of ash, then succumbed to a powerful volcanic blast that took place the following day.

(AP)

Casts were created of the entire skeletons, taking advantage of the impressions the shape of the victims made in the hardened ash.

(AP)

Judging by cranial bones and skull, one of the victims was a youth, likely aged 18 to 25, with a spinal column with compressed discs.

(AP)