https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/29/herculaneum-scroll-plato-final-hours-burial-site [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/2Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Sign in Search jobs Search US edition[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * International edition * Europe edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle ShowMoreShow More * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US elections 2024 + Donald Trump trials + World news + Environment + Ukraine + Soccer + Business + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions * [ ]US edition + UK edition + Australia edition + International edition + Europe edition * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us * World * Europe * US * Americas * Asia * Australia * Middle East * Africa * Inequality * Global development The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pierre Jacques Volaire, 1777, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina. [ ] The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius by Pierre Jacques Volaire. The scroll was read thanks to the 'most advanced imaging diagnostic techniques'. Photograph: Peter Barritt/Alamy View image in fullscreen The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius by Pierre Jacques Volaire. The scroll was read thanks to the 'most advanced imaging diagnostic techniques'. Photograph: Peter Barritt/Alamy Plato Plato's final hours recounted in scroll found in Vesuvius ash Newly deciphered passages outline Greek philosopher's burial place and describe critique of slave musician Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo Mon 29 Apr 2024 15.30 EDTLast modified on Mon 29 Apr 2024 18.29 EDT Share Newly deciphered passages from a papyrus scroll that was buried beneath layers of volcanic ash after the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius may have shed light on the final hours of Plato, a key figure in the history of western philosophy. In a groundbreaking discovery, the ancient scroll was found to contain a previously unknown narrative detailing how the Greek philosopher spent his last evening, describing how he listened to music played on a flute by a Thracian slave girl. Despite battling a fever and being on the brink of death, Plato - who was known as a disciple of Socrates and a mentor to Aristotle, and who died in Athens around 348BC - retained enough lucidity to critique the musician for her lack of rhythm, the account suggests. The decoded words also suggest Plato's burial site was in his designated garden in the Academy of Athens, the world's first university, which he founded, adjacent to the Mouseion. Previously, it was only known in general terms that he was buried within the academy. In a presentation of the research findings at the National Library of Naples, Prof Graziano Ranocchia, of the University of Pisa, who spearheaded the team responsible for unearthing the carbonised scroll, described the discovery as an "extraordinary outcome that enriches our understanding of ancient history". He said: "Thanks to the most advanced imaging diagnostic techniques, we are finally able to read and decipher new sections of texts that previously seemed inaccessible." Marble statue of PlatoView image in fullscreen The scroll recorded the burial place of Plato as his designated garden at the Academy of Athens. Photograph: Nevena Tsvetanova/Alamy The text also reveals that Plato was sold into slavery on the island of Aegina, possibly as early as 404BC when the Spartans conquered the island, or alternatively in 399BC, shortly after Socrates' passing. "Until now it was believed that Plato was sold into slavery in 387BC during his sojourn in Sicily at the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse," Ranocchia said. "For the first time, we have been able to read sequences of hidden letters from the papyri that were enfolded within multiple layers, stuck to each other over the centuries, through an unrolling process using a mechanical technique that disrupted whole fragments of text." Ranocchia said the ability to identify these layers and virtually realign them to their original positions to restore textual continuity represented a significant advance in terms of gathering vast amounts of information. AI helps scholars read scroll buried when Vesuvius erupted in AD79 Read more He said the work was still in its nascent stages and the full impact would only become apparent in the coming years. The scroll was preserved in a lavish 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. Domenico Camardo, an archaeologist at the Herculaneum conservation project, compared the impact of the AD79 eruption on Herculaneum, an ancient Roman beach town close to Pompeii, to the dropping of an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the second world war. Such was the heat of the pyroclastic surge produced by Vesuvius - believed to have been between 400C and 500C - that the brains and blood of victims instantly boiled. Explore more on these topics * Plato * Italy * Europe * news Share Reuse this content Most viewed Most viewed * World * Europe * US * Americas * Asia * Australia * Middle East * Africa * Inequality * Global development * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email * About us * Help * Complaints & corrections * SecureDrop * Work for us * * Privacy policy * Cookie policy * Terms & conditions * Contact us * All topics * All writers * Digital newspaper archive * Facebook * YouTube * Instagram * LinkedIn * Twitter * Newsletters * Advertise with us * Guardian Labs * Search jobs Back to top (c) 2024 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)