Artificial intelligence has successfully deciphered a charred papyrus scroll buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, revealing previously unknown passages of ancient Greek philosophy. The achievement marks a milestone in the use of machine learning to recover lost texts from antiquity.
Breakthrough in Reading the Herculaneum Scrolls
The scroll, part of the Herculaneum library, was carbonized by the volcanic blast and has been unreadable for nearly 2,000 years. Using AI trained on X-ray scans, researchers at the University of Oxford and the Vesuvius Challenge team extracted over 2,000 Greek characters from the blackened papyrus.
According to the team, the text appears to be a philosophical work discussing the nature of pleasure, possibly by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. The scroll is one of hundreds recovered from a villa believed to have belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law.
How the AI Deciphered the Scroll
The AI system analyzed high-resolution CT scans of the rolled, unopened scroll. It detected subtle variations in the papyrus structure caused by the carbon-based ink, which is invisible to the naked eye. The algorithm then reconstructed the writing by learning from other known Greek texts.
“This is a complete game-changer for our understanding of ancient literature,” said Dr. Emily Townsend, lead researcher at Oxford. “We are now able to read texts that were thought lost forever.”
The project, known as the Vesuvius Challenge, offered a $1 million prize for the first team to read a full scroll. The winning team used a combination of 3D mapping and machine learning to achieve the feat.
Implications for Classical Studies
The deciphered text includes phrases about music, food, and the senses, suggesting a discussion on Epicurean ethics. Scholars believe the library may contain lost works by Aristotle, Sophocles, and other major figures.
“Only a fraction of ancient Greek and Roman literature has survived,” said Prof. Michael Green of the University of Naples. “This technology could double or triple the available corpus.”
The team now plans to apply the AI method to the remaining scrolls, which number around 800. The project is funded by a consortium of tech companies and universities, aiming to unlock the entire library within a decade.
Challenges and Future Prospects
While the AI has proven effective, challenges remain. Some scrolls are too damaged to scan, and the ink composition varies. However, the researchers are confident that further refinement will overcome these obstacles.
“We are only at the beginning,” said Dr. Townsend. “Every scroll we read could rewrite history.”
