This study is part of the “GreekSchools” project, funded by the European Research Council, which began three years ago and will continue until 2026.
The researchers used infrared optical imaging, ultraviolet optical imaging, thermal imaging, tomography and digital optical microscopy as a kind of “bionic eye” to examine the Philodemus Academy History scroll, which was also written in carbon-based ink.
This new analysis ended up revealing a new set of data. “Compared to previous observations, there is now an almost radically altered text, which implies a series of new and concrete facts about several academic philosophers”, highlighted Graziano Ranocchia, main researcher on the project.
Through the newfound discoveries, scientists have come up with unexpected interdisciplinary deductions for ancient philosophy, Greek biography and literature, and the history of the book of Philodemus.
CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Ercolano Papyri
Ercolano was a rich villa Roman neighbor of Pompeii that also succumbed to the ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Still, some areas of Roman Ercolano survived. Among one of them is a palatial residence that would have belonged to a man called Piso. Here, Hundreds of priceless written parchments made of papyrus survived, but were burned by volcanic gas.
The manuscripts remained buried under volcanic mud until they were excavated in the 1700s. In a single room, there was this set of testimonies that archaeologists believe to have been the personal library of a philosopher called Philodemus.
Ercolano | Carla Quirino – RTP
From the fragments found, researchers had already identified several Greek philosophical texts.
Now, with the support of new technologies, it has been possible to decipher more than a thousand new words that correspond to 30 percent of the document. This charred papyrus belongs to the history of the Academy of Philodemus (110 BC – 40 BC).
“For the first time, we were able to read hidden letter sequences from papyri that had been folded in several layers, stuck together over centuries, through an unwinding process using a mechanical technique that interrupted entire fragments of text” explained Ranocchia , quoted in the British publication The Guardian.
Philodemus’ works include writings on ethics, theology, rhetoric, music, poetry, and the history of various philosophical schools.
News about Plato
Plato was known as a disciple of Socrates and a mentor to Aristotle. He died in Athens around 348 BC.
More news about the philosopher emerges about his life. The parchment contains information that Plato was sold as a slave on the island of Aegina perhaps as early as 404 BC, when the Spartans conquered the island or, alternatively, in 399 BC, immediately after the death of Socrates. Until now, it was believed that Plato had been sold into slavery in 387 BC during his stay in Sicily, at the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse.
The newly deciphered manuscript also details how the Greek philosopher spent his last hours. Despite fighting a fever and being on the verge of death, Plato would have been lucid enough to criticize a flute player.
In this passage, we discover a dialogue between characters in which Plato describes – in a dismissive tone – the poor musical and rhythmic ability of slave music originating in Thrace.
In one of the reports from this manuscript fragment, it was possible to decipher that Plato was buried in the garden reserved for himself – in a private area destined for the school founded by the philosopher – the Academy in Athens, close to the so-called Museion or sacred sacello for the Muses.
Until now, it was only known that Plato was buried in the Academy, without any precise information.
New technologies for deciphering ancient texts
The results of the investigation have now been presented by Professor Graziano Ranocchia, from the University of Pisa, responsible for unearthing the charred parchment. At the National Library in Naples, Ranocchia described the discovery as an “extraordinary result that enriches our understanding of ancient history.”
Scanners magnified/infrared and X-rays deciphered more than a thousand words from Philodemus’ Academy’s History text, previously unreadable | DP PavoneTraso /Pacoa
Ranocchia added that the ability to identify these layers and virtually realign them to their original positions allows textual continuity to be restored. This technology “represents a significant advance in terms of collecting large amounts of information”.
“Thanks to more advanced diagnostic imaging techniques, we are finally able to read and decipher new sections of text that previously seemed inaccessible”highlights the researcher.
The work is still in its initial stages, but Ranicchia believes that the impact of studying the preachings – increasingly better decoded – will bring many surprises in the coming years.
