Hacker News Reader

I was under the impression his body was recovered a couple of days after the eruption - have I got that wrong?

Indeed, the Wikipedia says on the matter: "On their return three days later (26 August) after the plume had dispersed, his body was found under the pumice with no apparent external injuries." Odd that the article doesn't address this at all.

Huh, so who does this skull belong to? Maybe it's one of the friends he was trying to rescue?

Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if there were multiple men running around with gold jewelry and swords back then. If the Bay Area were hit by a major earthquake today and everyone got buried in the rubble, we would find a lot of bodies clutching iPhones and Tesla car keys.

Yes, that's correct. Pliny the Younger wrote in his account of the eruption that it looked like his father has just fallen asleep.

Pliny the Elder was his uncle.

Pliny the Elder had named Pliny the Younger as his heir, so in a way you both are correct.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com