UK scientists made a breakthrough in deciphering ancient scrolls charred by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago, using artificial intelligence to "virtually unroll" the delicate manuscripts. Researchers at the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries and the Vesuvius Challenge deciphered a scroll carbonized by the catastrophic event in 79 CE and are now focusing on translating the revealed text of PHerc. 172.
Thanks to a combination of X-ray imaging and artificial intelligence algorithms, experts were able to "virtually unroll" the document without damaging it, marking an advancement in the non-invasive digital restoration of the Herculaneum scrolls. The scroll was placed in a special case and delivered to the Diamond Light Source complex in Oxfordshire, England. There, it was scanned using synchrotron technology, which produces extremely bright beams of light, providing a non-invasive view of the scroll's contents.
Once digitally reconstructed, an artificial intelligence system analyzed the images in search of traces of ink, using a neural network to identify patterns in the scan's data. This allowed scientists to trace the scroll's ink and unravel the letters written on PHerc. 172. They think the ink of PHerc. 172 may contain a denser contaminant, potentially lead, that allows the text to be more legible than other Herculaneum scrolls when subjected to X-ray scans.
Dr. Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, led the charge to adopt X-ray and AI methods for restoring the scrolls and launched the Vesuvius Challenge in 2023, inviting scientists to recover sections of the Herculaneum scrolls. Student programmers Luke Farritor, Egyptian student Youssef Nader, and Swiss student Julian Schilliger won the 2023 Vesuvius Challenge grand prize of $700,000. In October 2023, Farritor and Nader found the ancient Greek word πορφύρας ("purple") on one of the Herculaneum scrolls. Only a few words have been deciphered so far, including the ancient Greek word for "disgust," which appears twice in different columns of text in PHerc. 172.
"We need better images, but the team is confident they can further improve the image quality and the readability of the text," said Peter Toth, curator at the Bodleian Library. "An incredible moment in history," said Richard Ovenden, the director of the University Libraries, remarking on the collaboration of librarians, computer scientists, and classical scholars. "The project is a perfect example of libraries, humanities and computer science complementing each other's expertise to understand our common past," he added, according to Gizmodo.
The scroll designated PHerc. 172 is one of nearly 2,000 carbonized scrolls and charred papyrus fragments found in the lost Roman town of Herculaneum in 1750, part of the Herculaneum papyri collection burned during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford houses several Herculaneum scrolls, including PHerc. 172, which was gifted by Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily in the early 19th century.
Before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, a massive collection of scrolls sat in what is known today as the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum. It would have been a must-see destination in ancient times, boasting a library of papyri scrolls and extravagant works of art, including frescoes and marble sculptures. Herculaneum, along with nearby Pompeii, was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The heat and volcanic ash from Vesuvius destroyed the city but preserved the parchments, making them unreadable.
Scholars and scientists have been searching for ways to decipher the Herculaneum parchments for over 250 years, and efforts to mechanically unroll the excavated scrolls over the years failed and often caused further damage.
Experts in ancient history believe that the text could be related to the school of Epicureanism, and Robert Fowler suggested that the author might be the ancient Greek Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. Epicureanism is a philosophy that promotes the pursuit of pleasure through moderation and the appreciation of everyday experiences.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.