Ancient scroll discovered buried in Vesuvius ash reveals Plato's last moments

An incredible new discovery has provided us with evidence of Plato’s last moments, after an ancient scroll was unearthed beneath layers of Vesuvius ash.

Plato is one of the most influential figures in ancient philosophy, and a new passage uncovered from a papyrus scroll could provide us with a description of his final hours.

The scroll was buried under layers of volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD [via the Guardian].

A passage deciphered from the scroll shows that the philosopher spent his last evening listening to flute music played by a Thracian slave girl.

While the scroll was buried in 79 AD, Plato himself died around 348 BC, and during his life was known for being a mentor of Aristotle, becoming one of the founding fathers of Western philosophy.

Not only did the translation of the scroll tell us what HE was listening to during his final moments, but it also tells us that he was critical of the musical performance – and that he was buried in his garden in the Academy of Athens.

Vesuvius erupted in AD79iStock

The findings were presented by Professor Graziano Ranocchia of the University of Pisa, while he was speaking at the National Library of Naples.

Ranocchia, who led the team who uncovered the carbonised scroll, said the development was an “extraordinary outcome that enriches our understanding of ancient history”.

“Thanks to the most advanced imaging diagnostic techniques, we are finally able to read and decipher new sections of texts that previously seemed inaccessible,” he said.

As well as these revelations, the scroll also uncovers more about Plato’s life – and his early life having been sold into slavery.

As the text shows, Plato was sold on the island of Aegina as early as 404BC when the island was conquered by the Spartans.

Ranocchia said: “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. 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.”

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