Plato's final hours recounted in scroll found in Vesuvius ash

A carbonized scroll found in the ash of Mount Vesuvius provides new insights into the final hours of Plato, the famous Greek philosopher. The scroll reveals that Plato, in his last evening, listened to music played by a Thracian slave girl, critiquing her rhythm despite being ill. The text also suggests that Plato was buried in his designated garden at the Academy of Athens, the world's first university, which he founded. Furthermore, the scroll reveals that Plato was sold into slavery on the island of Aegina, either in 404BC or 399BC. Previously, it was believed that he was sold into slavery in 387BC during his stay in Sicily. The discovery of the scroll was made by a team led by Prof Graziano Ranocchia of the University of Pisa. The scroll, preserved in a villa in Herculaneum and discovered in 1750, is believed to have belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law.