How Plato’s grave was finally found
In 2024, researchers revealed they had found new details of the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato’s burial site. It was a breakthrough centuries in the making…
Image: Shutterstock.com
What image first springs to mind when you think of the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato? Quite possibly, you picture the lost city of Atlantis, which features in two of his many written works (or ‘dialogues’, as they are otherwise called).
Ironically, however, Plato makes only fleeting references to Atlantis. Today, scholars widely consider it to be fictional. Nonetheless, some wonder what could have inspired its creation.
The parable of Atlantis is far from the only aspect of Plato’s life shrouded in mystery. For centuries, historians have also been none the wiser about exactly where this foundational thinker of Western philosophy was buried upon his death. That is at least one conundrum about Plato that, just recently, might finally have been solved…
Who was Plato?
Plato was born to an aristocratic Athenian family in the 420s AD. The young Plato met established philosopher Socrates and joined his inner circle. Plato intended to embark on a political career, but changed his mind after an authoritarian government in Athens put Socrates on trial.
Life as a philosopher must have seemed like a much safer bet for Plato. Today, he is seen as the pioneer of philosophy as we now know it. The many ideas he put forward in his dialogues include the ‘Theory of Forms’. Here, ‘forms’ refers to abstract ideals to which humans ought to aspire in their day-to-day lives.
In one of Plato’s best-known works, Republic, the author presents the ‘allegory of the cave’. This likens low-educated people to prisoners kept in a cave. The dialogue tells the story of a prisoner who breaks free of their chains and escapes the cave. As a result, they become much more enlightened about the outside world.
The legendary tale of Atlantis
Atlantis is mentioned in the Plato dialogues Timaeus and Critias. The author describes Atlantis as a powerful island empire located in the Atlantic Ocean more than 9,000 years before Plato’s own time.
According to Plato, the Atlanteans became overconfident and decided to wage a war of conquest against Ancient Athens. Atlantis was subsequently humbled in the conflict and later sank into the sea.
Many attempts have been made to find Atlantis since Plato wrote of its supposed existence. The Truthseekers
team has thoroughly investigated the question of whether Atlantis actually existed. (Spoiler alert — it very likely didn’t…)
The hunt for Plato’s grave
Given Plato’s reputation as one of history’s most influential philosophers, it’s surprising how little is known about his personal life story. This even extends to the matter of where he was laid to rest after his death in 348 or 347 BC.
Long-known sources indicate that Plato was buried on the grounds of the academy he founded in Athens around 387 BC. However, that’s about as specific as public knowledge got when it came to the burial location. Until April 2024, that is…
That’s when news broke that archaeologists had unearthed tantalising new details on the subject. In the 18th century, more than 1,800 papyrus scrolls were rescued from the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum, located in what is now southern Italy.
In 79 AD, the town and scrolls were buried under volcanic ash spewed by the nearby Mount Vesuvius. This meant that when the scrolls were eventually recovered, they were in a remarkable state of preservation. Unfortunately, though, many of them were so brittle, researchers couldn’t unroll them without running the risk of damaging them.
How modern-day technology came to the rescue
The scrolls were discovered in a library believed to have belonged to the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. Philodemus himself even penned some of the scrolls. They include History of the Academy, which focuses on Plato’s academy.
Researchers have used advanced techniques — including artificial intelligence, tomography and hyperspectral imaging technology — to analyse the document and extract previously illegible words from its contents.
This all led to the revelation of exactly where Plato was buried — at least according to this scroll. Apparently, the philosopher’s final resting place was a private garden near the Mouseion, a sacred shrine dedicated to the Muses.
The grave’s proximity to the Mouseion was fitting, as Plato was an exponent of music’s beneficial effect on the soul. Indeed, the new details about the burial place lend further credence to existing ideas about Plato’s beliefs.
There could be further discoveries about Plato later down the line, too. By subscribing to the Sky HISTORY Newsletter, you can be kept informed about upcoming historical documentaries.
