This viral tweet from @PersianRose1 claims to show a man who died while masturbating during the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79.
Masturbating man, Pompeii, 79 CE
The tweet set off a volcanic flow of wank jokes, which was kicked off by @PersianRose1 themselves:
"He held on till the very end.......great man."
"When she wanna evacuate but you tryna ejaculate."
"One last one for Harambe!"
OK settle down, everyone. As noted by the HoaxEye Twitter account, the photo does not show a man masturbating. It is, however, from Pompeii.
A color version of the image was shared in June on the verified Instagram account for the Pompeii Archeological Area. It posted the photo with the description, "Plaster cast of a victim of the eruption."
A few weeks later, a black and white version of the image was tweeted by @PersianRose1 with the false caption. It instantly began making the rounds. The viral photo Twitter account @HistoryFlick copied the tweet:
Masturbating man, Pompeii, 79 CE
The image also made its way to Reddit.
Soon there was this hugely viral tweet from @andredoesthings that quoted the original:
And once again, Mount Wanking Jokes erupted. "Buddy, there's a reason his friends called him Mount Vesuvius."
"REST IN PLEASURE"
"I admire his commitment honestly. 'Fuck volcanoes, I'm getting off!'"
