Was he right about debates? The Ancient Greek philosopher Plato thought debates ruined dialogue. Given our polarised and overheated political climate, some think he might be right.
Plato’s last evening rescued from volcano
Thinker: The story of the last night of Plato, as painted by Renaissance artist Raphael, was found under ash. Glossary
Athens - One of the great city-states of the ancient world and the birthplace of democracy.
Philosopher - A thinker who comes up with ideas about big questions in life.
Herculaneum - An ancient city that was buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79. It is close to Pompeii.
Mount Vesuvius - The mountain is 1,281m tall. It last erupted in 1944.
Papyrologists - An expert in the study of papyruses and writing on papyrus.
Aesthetics - The branch of philosophy looking at the nature of beauty and taste.
Socrates - Considered by some to be the greatest philosopher in history, Socrates is credited with developing the whole notion of critical reason.
House of Commons - The democratically elected house of the UK Parliament. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament.
MPs - Members of Parliament. MPs are elected to represent people in 650 different geographical areas.
Orators - Public speakers. Marcus Tullius Cicero was a lawyer in the time of the Roman republic and was widely revered as one of the greatest orators of all time. His name has become synonymous with eloquence via the word Ciceronian.