A Mystery Has Been Revealed
Plato is one of Ancient Greece’s most well-known and preeminent philosophers. And since the Ancient World is a subject modern scholars are constantly uncovering, new details about his last wishes have come to light. But first, who was the man behind these immortal thoughts? And what are these scrolls that have changed our perspective on his last moments?
The Birth Of A Legend
Plato’s exact birthday is unknown, but scholars have narrowed it down to an estimate between 428 and 427 BCE. Adding to his mysterious life, not much is known about the length and depth of his education. But we do know something about his family.
Money Bought Him A Good Start To Life
He came from a rich and politically engaged family in Athens, and ancient sources described him as smart and humble. His father was a major contributor to his education, which meant Plato could have learned just about everything a young Athenian boy would want to know.
A Big, Full Family
Plato was one of four children in the home. He had two brothers, Adeimantus and Glaucon, and a sister, Potone, whose son would succeed Plato at the Academy. Later, he would also have a stepbrother and a half-brother. Plato needed to set himself apart from the others.
The Confusion Around A Name
Fellow writer and philosopher Diogenes claims Plato was originally named after his grandfather, Aristocles. The change to Plato happened when Ariston of Argos, his wrestling coach, nicknamed him Platon for his “broad” physique.
The Debate Around Plato’s Life Runs Deep
Scholars have disputed this claim. They stated that “Plato” was a normal name to be given at the time and that he was named this by his father. This isn’t the only surprising and heavily argued fact about Plato.
Jusepe de Ribera, Wikimedia Commons
The Influence Of Higher Powers
There are some legends about Plato’s early life and birth. One of the most creative is that he was born of divine conception, a gift to his father from Apollo. A separate myth details how bees landed on his mouth while he was napping as an infant on Mount Hymettus. Apparently, these bees foretold his abilities as a philosopher.
Artus Quellinus the Elder, Wikimedia Commons
He Was Heavily Involved With Local Politics
Plato became well-known fairly early in life. When he came of age, he was invited to join the administration of the Thirty Tyrants regime. But when they made this shocking decision, he was put off from their way of life.
A Disagreement Sent Him On An Entirely New Path
The Tyrants convicted Socrates when they took Leon of Salamis into custody and put him to execution without trial. They accused Socrates of what Plato thought were blatant lies. But Plato’s life continued to surprise.
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A Sign From The Universe
When the Thirty Tyrants were overthrown, Plato decided to reenter the political landscape—that is, until Socrates’s execution caused him to go on a voyage to ponder his desire to become politically involved again. But this journey would end in disaster.
His Time In Service To Others
Sometime between 404 BCE and circa Socrates’ passing in 399 BCE, Plato was enslaved. According to him, he grew too involved in the Syracusan politics and the leader of Syracuse, Dionysius, sold him into slavery. His involvement with Syracuse’s ruler didn’t end there.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Someone Came To His Aid Amidst The Chaos
Dionysius was one of Plato’s disciples, as was his brother, Dion. And through a series of strange twists driven by loyalty and betrayal, Dion overthrew Dionysius and ruled Syracuse. Plato’s freedom was then secured by Cyrenaic philosopher Anniceris for 20 minas.
AnonymousUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
He Wanted To Teach His Learnings To Others
It was several years after Plato’s freedom from enslavement that he created one of the most important aspects of his legacy. The Academy, or the Platonic Academy, was established circa 387 BCE. He had lofty goals for the school, and we think he achieved them.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
Somewhere All The Young Men Could Enjoy
The Academy was to be a place of higher learning in the Western world. Students could study sciences, history, mathematics, and more. To say the least, Plato was quite attached to this legacy. Some well-known philosophers even attended his modest school!
1) Ciper96 2) Sailko, Wikimedia Commons
Prominent Learners Went On To Create Their Legacies
The name Aristotle might ring a bell. Well, he was one of the many students who attended Plato’s academy. Heraclides, Philip of Opus, and his nephew, Speusippus, also attended the school. And they had quite a well-rounded education.
When A Tree Falls In The Forest, Was It Really At A Wedding?
Plato’s demise has stimulated supposition and legend in equal measure. Some think he departed while sleeping. Others believe he was at a wedding feast and passed on. But the theory scholars discovered recently is a little more out of the ordinary.
A Long-Lived Philosopher, Unspecified In Age
The age he reached is also up for debate. Philosopher Seneca the Elder believed he was 81, while the ages of 82 and 84 are also argued for. All we know for sure is that the details of Plato’s life and subsequent departure can’t be pinned down. Except now, the Herculaneum papyrus scrolls might give us more insight into the numerous, disputed facts.
The Library At The Base Of Mount Vesuvius
The Herculaneum papyri consist of over 1,800 scrolls which were found at the Villa of the Papyri in the town of Herculaneum. In 79 CE, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the town and carbonized the papyri in the villa. What these texts contain is irreplaceable.
unknown, held at British Library, Wikimedia Commons
Shedding Some Light Onto The Secrets Of The Past
Excavations of the villa and its library of scrolls began in the 18th century and continue to this day. Scholars are excited to work on translating what these scrolls contain, as they can shed light on many other classical texts that have been lost to time. What they’ve revealed so far is rather surprising.
Antonio Masiello, Getty Images
Discovering And Preserving These Artifacts Is Vital
It’s likely that many additional papyri were accidentally ruined or destroyed during the early excavations. In 2016, there was a letter written by academics asking the Italian archeological authorities to allow for more excavations in preparation for a potentially dramatic, destructive event.
The Volcano Could Cause Another Horrible Disaster
Mount Vesuvius may erupt again. The first eruption turned all the Herculaneum papyri into carbon, and the effects of it destroyed entire towns (Pompeii, anyone?). Excavating the rest of the villa would save many undiscovered artifacts from facing further ruination.
unknown, held at British Library, Wikimedia Commons
Reading The Scrolls Is Risky Business
Unrolling these scrolls turned out to be quite the beast of a task. Unrolling them carelessly led to the papyri breaking apart. Researchers had to find ways to support the material as they manipulated it.
unknown, held at British Library, Wikimedia Commons
Using New Technologies To Their Advantage
Modern methods have foregone unrolling the scrolls completely. Instead, researchers are using X-ray technologies and different methods of imaging to see within the papyri and detect ink. Things get even more amazing from there.
NearEMPTiness, Wikimedia Commons
Virtually Accessible, Physically Closed
The X-rays allow for the scrolls to be opened virtually. They are mapped in 3D which can identify between ink and paper. From there, the imaging grows increasingly specific, dissecting the broad geometric shapes on the parchment into more specific letters. Decipherers of these texts can even earn themselves a prize for their efforts.
How ancient Herculaneum papyrus scrolls were deciphered, New Scientist
Tempting Others To Solve The Puzzle
The Vesuvius Challenge is a competition announced in 2023 by Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, and Brent Seales. There are different amounts to win, including the “first word” prize which went to a 21-one-year-old student who discovered the word porphyras (“purple”).
EDUCE: Imaging the Herculaneum Scrolls, VisCenter
Granting Unparalleled Insight Into Human History
These texts are vital to enhancing our understanding of the Ancient World. Many of the texts contained in them are philosophical texts, several of which are written by Plato or are about Plato. The recent 2024 discovery even revealed some surprising details about the philosopher’s burial.
Never-Before-Seen Writings And Works
From fragments of writings by Seneca the Elder to portions of a work about Alexander the Great, there are numerous secrets about the world hidden in these scrolls. Scholars are even discovering more evidence of works previously thought to have been destroyed by time.
Secrets About Plato Were Uncovered
While modern scholars are continuing to parse more information out every day, the recent discoveries about Plato were an amazing addition to the contents of this papyri scroll library. They even discovered information about where the famous philosopher was laid to rest.
EDUCE: Imaging the Herculaneum Scrolls, VsCenter
He Was Very, Very Ill
The texts revealed Plato’s physical and mental state on the night that he departed this world. They showed that Plato had an incredibly high fever, which would not leave his mind in the finest of shape—so much so that he made disparaging comments about someone near him.
Justus van Gent / Pedro Berruguete, Wikimedia Commons
Supposedly, He Was Enjoying Some Music
A young Thracian slave girl was playing the flute for him as he lay perishing. While previously thought that he enjoyed the performance, the scrolls reveal that he thought there was a “scant sense of rhythm”. But that wasn’t all the scrolls revealed upon translation.
Deiadameian, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
This Comment Found The Ears Of An Unlikely Listener
According to Professor Graziano Ranocchia, Plato took his comments to an unlikely person. Not a friend, nor family, but a guest visiting from Mesopotamia. Imagine, traveling all this way just to hear Plato insult a performer’s abilities.
Yair Haklai, Wikimedia Commons
The Academy Holds The Secrets
The debate about where Plato was laid to rest might have finally come to an end. The only firm fact scholars had until this point was that he was buried somewhere on the property of his Athenian Academy. But where on these extensive grounds could he be?
Dimboukas at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Researchers Were Stumped
Even Ranocchia said, “We knew he was buried at the Academy, which was very large”. Scholars were stumped, and it wasn’t like they could excavate the whole school to look for Plato. But after 2,000 years and surviving the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, some papyri reveal a more precise location.
Buried Amongst The Flowers
So, where in the ruins are Plato’s remains? Ranocchia and other researchers reveal that the scrolls describe Plato’s burial place to be a private garden. This spot was reportedly already set aside for him before his passing.
The Secret Garden
While the Academy grounds are technically ruins that have been the site of fairly extensive excavations, the garden was considered to be a secret, “private” area, according to Ranocchia. All signs point to Plato’s grave being a very particularly chosen area.
The Immense Consideration Of His Burial Place
The Academy offered many different outdoor amenities, like other parks, running tracks, and even sports areas. The choice to bury him in a tucked-away corner feels well-considered and thought out. This intention is supported by another interesting feature nearby.
Alluding To Plato’s Muses In Life
Plato’s garden grave is not only special due to its location within the Academy, it’s also unique due to its placement near a sacred shrine. Now, placement next to any shrine is significant, but the figures this shrine worshipped are particularly important to a philosopher.
Close To The Symbols Of Artistic Inspiration
The shrine was dedicated to the Muses, or the Mousai, the nine goddesses of knowledge and arts. Their domains included epic poetry, religious hymns, and “erotic” poetry, but perhaps most relevant to Plato, history and astronomy.
Klügmann Painter, Wikimedia Commons
Iconic Last Words
In the end, Plato’s last words were a criticism of the flutist performing for him in his last hours. For a hotly-debated philosopher, there is little else one could expect aside from a seemingly random comment that he didn’t think someone would write down. Or maybe the Muse of Music spoke through him in his final moments.
The Future Of Discoveries About The Past
The discovery of where Plato was buried could be the topic of a lot of analysis. There may be even more information to uncover about the philosopher hidden within the Herculaneum scrolls. All we know for sure is that we’re staying on top of those ancient papers.
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