An ancient olive tree under which Plato taught his students was
uprooted recently, likely to be burned for firewood. Heavy taxes
on home heating oil has forced many impoverished Greeks to burn
wood to stay warm this winter. Many have taken to the bare
forests outside of Athens to illegally cut trees for their
fireplaces. Plato's tree, which is on an ancient path between
Athens and the town of Elefsina, may have fallen victim to these
desperate measures, said the Olive Oil Times. The tree was
situated in a former olive grove which would have sat just
outside Plato's famous academy. It is unclear who uprooted the
tree but local residents said either homeless people or gypsies,
said the Greek Reporter. The tree was believed to be about 2400
years-old. It's not the first time tragedy has knocked on its
trunk. A bus driver crashed into the tree in 1975, killing and
uprooting it. In 1977, the tree began coming back to life
reported the Associated Press.