First section of ancient scroll deciphered by AI

[Judi Lynn]

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:

[Karadeniz]

1. Ive been waiting for this !!!!

[Warpy]

2. I have and I haven't

While there's a chance there's a new (to us) history or poetry or play, there's an equal chance the whole library consists of bills of lading for whips bringing in olive oil or grain from northern Africa. While mildly interesting to historians, it would leave the rest of us cold. Herculaneum was a robust seaside town, but it worked for a living, much more so than its larger and better known party town neighbor.