Italian researcher claims to have discovered Plato’s burial place

·

An Italian researcher believes he has identified the location of Plato’s burial place in Athens by analyzing papyri from Herculaneum.

The Italian papyrologist Graziano Ranocchia of the University of Pisa, believes according to his research thaat Plato is buried in a in a private area in a garden in the Academy, near a sacred shrine to the Muses.

According to ekathimerini.com, the Herculaneum papyri are more than 1,800 papyrus scrolls discovered in the 18th century in the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town, located in the modern-day town of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. They were carbonized when the villa was engulfed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Photo: Biblioteca Nazionale/CNR-ISPC

The papyri were read using a bionic eye, which detected a thousand new words, which is 30% more than when they were last analyzed more than 30 years ago.

The location of Plato’s grave was contained in a history of the Academy by Philodemus of Gadara, an Epicurean philosopher and poet who lived in Herculaneum, said Ranocchia.

The scholar revealed the news at the Naples National Library, where he presented the mid-term results of the “Greek Schools” research project.

The research started three years ago and will be completed in 2026. Plato’s Academy was destroyed by the Roman dictator Sulla in 86 BC. 

Source: ekathimerini

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

GOCNSW holds fruitful first meeting with new Consul General George Skemperis

The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW hosted the new Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Georgios Skemperis, in a productive meeting.

Silent heroes and bright futures: Supporting Greek language education in Victoria

Over the past month or so a few articles have appeared discussing the current and future state of the Greek language in Victoria.

Archbishop Makarios pays tribute to Elder Vasilios Gontikakis, influential Athonite theologian

Elder Vasilios Gontikakis, former Prior of the Iviron Monastery (1990–2005) and the Stavronikita Monastery (1968–1990) on Mount Athos, died.

Greek basketball stars bring Panathinaikos spirit to Melbourne’s Stalactites

Melbourne’s iconic Greek restaurant Stalactites hosted Panathinaikos stars Nikos Rogkavopoulos and Jerian Grant on Wednesday, September 17.

Australian Championship secures landmark multi-platform broadcast deal with SBS

Football Australia and SBS today announced a landmark multi-year, multi-platform agreement to broadcast the Australian Championship.

You May Also Like

Stefanos Tsitsipas calls on people to ‘show responsibility’ in new Greek government ad

As the second wave of COVID-19 comes to Greece, Stefanos Tsitsipas urges people to be responsible to be better protected from the virus.

Rugby League receives government recognition in Greece

The Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports has officially declared that rugby league has the right to be played in Greece.

Simon Behrakis concedes defeat after narrow loss in Tasmanian seat of Clark

Simon Behrakis has lost his seat in Tasmania’s electorate of Clark by a razor-thin margin, as a fellow Liberal surged ahead in the final count.