Artificial intelligence has helped decode a scroll from Herculaneum in its entirety for
Artificial intelligence has helped decode a scroll from Herculaneum in its entirety for
Publish Date: 2026-07-15 16:05:00
Source Domain: ua.news
- An international team of researchers has deciphered an ancient Roman scroll from Herculaneum using artificial intelligence and digital imaging technologies for the first time, without unrolling the fragile charred scroll.
- The achievements come from the Vesuvius Challenge project, which aims to unlock the secrets of many more ancient scrolls using non-invasive methods.
- The project will openly share all data, source code, and digital models of the papyri and will award $1 million to the first person or team to fully decipher another scroll.
- To date, around 45 scrolls have been scanned with over 600 remaining unviewed, and possible additional manuscripts are believed to exist.
- Researchers revealed 70 columns of text from a work by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus and reconstructed the oldest successfully deciphered Herculaneum scroll, dating to 200–300 BCE, which discusses ethical and behavioral topics.
