The final resting place of Greek philosopher Plato has been revealed thanks to a recently deciphered papyrus scroll.
Experts from the University of Pisa in Pisa, Italy, have recently been working on deciphering carbonized papyrus scrolls discovered on the site of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city destroyed after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. One of the scrolls contained the account of Plato’s life, and thanks to infrared and x-ray scanners, the scientists were able to read it for the first time.
It was previously known that Plato was buried at the grounds of an academy he founded in Athens. However, the scroll reveals the exact location, describing a garden in the private area of the academy.
“We knew Plato was buried at the academy, which was very large, but thanks to the scans, we now know he was buried in a garden in a private area, near the sacred shrine to the Muses,” University of Pisa’s Graziano Ranocchia shared with The Times.
The scroll also reveals other previously unknown details from Plato’s life including that he was enslaved in 404 BC or 399 BC by the Spartans and that he died in his bed while listening to the sounds of a flute.