Dthe exact place of Plato’s burial in the Academy in Athens emerges from the Herculaneum papyri. Documents miraculously decoded, which also tell us about the last hours of the great philosopher
From the papyri of Herculaneumcarbonized by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, surprising information re-emerges on the last hours of Plato’s life and the exact place of his burial. The great philosopherknown as disciple of Socrates and mentor of Aristotledied in Athens around 348 BC
Surprising information about Plato from the Herculaneum papyri
The new discoveries on the Herculaneum papyri are made possible by the “GreekSchools” project, an international initiative coordinated by Professor Graziano Ranocchia of the University of Pisa.
Plato’s last hours listening to the music of a flute
On ancient carbonized papyrus scrolls, thanks to innovative decoding techniquesinscriptions have emerged that describe in detail how the Greek philosopher spent his last evening, listening to the music of a flute played by a Thracian slave. Although he was battling a fever and was close to death, Plato retained enough clarity to criticize the musician for her lack of rhythm.
The burial place of the great philosopher revealed
Thanks to the decoding of the papyri, we became aware of the Plato’s burial place, unknown until today: the garden reserved for him of the Academy of Athens, near the Museion, the chapel sacred to the Muses. Previously it was believed that he had been buried generically within the Academy and not in such a prestigious and symbolic place.
Plato made a slave: a new version of the facts on the papyri
The text also reveals that Plato he was sold into slavery on the island of Aegina, perhaps as early as 404 BC when the Spartans conquered the island, or alternatively in 399 BC, shortly after the death of Socrates. “Until now it was believed that Plato was sold into slavery in 387 BC during his stay in Sicily at the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse,” said papyrologist Graziano Ranocchia, who led the team of scholars. “For the first time, we were able to read sequences of letters hidden in papyrus that were wrapped in multiple layers, stuck to each other over the centuries, through an unwinding process using a mechanical technique that disintegrated entire fragments of text”.
Innovative techniques to shed light on history
In a presentation of the research results at the National Library of Naples, Ranocchia described the discovery as an “extraordinary achievement that enriches our understanding of ancient history.” “Thanks to the most advanced diagnostic imaging techniques – declared the scholar – we are finally able to read and decipher new sections of texts that previously seemed inaccessible”.
The Villa of the Papyri of Herculaneum
The papyrus scroll was kept in a luxurious villa in Herculaneum and discovered in 1750, and is believed to have belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. Over the years, scholars have tried to decipher the scrolls found in this villa, known as the Villa of the Papyri.
The eruption of Vesuvius that devastated Herculaneum
Domenico Camardo, archaeologist of the Herculaneum Conservation Project, compared the impact of the 79 AD eruption on Herculaneuman ancient Roman seaside town near Pompeii, at the drop of a atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima During the Second World War. The heat that was released was estimated at between 400 and 500 degrees.
