First section of ancient scroll deciphered by AI

February 6, 2024
Matthew Ward Agius

Three researchers have won almost $1.1m (US$700,000) for deciphering a portion of ancient text from a scroll charred by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79CE.

Herculaneum was an ancient Roman city south of modern-day Naples, which was buried beneath volcanic ash when Vesuvius erupted.

A ruined villa was uncovered in 1750 and found to contain papyrus scrolls blackened by the event.



Samples of the text from the scanned Herculaneum papyrus. Credit: Vesuvius Challenge

The scrolls are incredibly fragile. Attempts to unfurl the 600-odd documents have previously resulted in delicate tears to the material, forcing conservators to lock them from manual unravelling.

But as technology developed, so too has opportunities to ‘read’ their contents. In 2018, scientists at the University of Kentucky in the US X-rayed the scrolls to begin the process of deciphering their text.

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/archaeology/first-section-of-ancient-scroll-deciphered-by-ai/




Message from a less respectable scroll: