Plato's final hours 'revealed': Ancient scroll buried by Mount Vesuvius claims ... trends now
One of history's most influential philosophers, Plato was known for his theories on politics, poetry, knowledge and ethics.
And, thanks to a newly discovered scroll buried by Mount Vesuvius, we now know that the ancient Greek thinker was sharp in his criticisms until the very end, spending his last moments blasting a slave-girl flautist's 'lack of rhythm'.
The centuries old passages detail Plato's final hours and reveal that the philosopher, who was suffering from a fever, had been listening to music and welcoming guests before he died at the age of 80 or 81 in around 348BC.
The scroll, known as the History of the Academy and penned by Philodemus, a philosopher and poet who lived in the 1st century BC, has been illegible since its discovery in a grand villa in Herculaneum, now known as Ercolano in Italy, in 1750.
Plato (pictured) was known for his theories on politics, poetry and ethics. And, thanks to a newly discovered scroll, we now know that the ancient Greek thinker was sharp in his criticisms until the end, spending his last moments blasting a flautist's 'lack of rhythm'
The scroll, known as the History of the Academy and penned by Philodemus, a philosopher and poet who lived in the 1st century BC, has been illegible since its 1750 discovery thanks to Mount Vesuvius's eruption (pictured) in 79AD covering it in metres of ash
The centuries old passages (pictured) detail Plato's final hours and reveal that the philosopher, who was suffering from a fever, had been listening to music and welcoming guests before he died at the age of 80 or 81 in around 348BC
The papyrus had been buried under metres of ash at the house, believed
