AI helps read papyrus scroll burnt to crisp during Vesuvius eruption | AI (artificial intelligence)
AI helps read papyrus scroll burnt to crisp during Vesuvius eruption | AI (artificial intelligence)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/24/ai-read-papyrus-scroll-burnt-vesuvius-eruption
Publish Date: 2026-06-24 11:38:00
Source Domain: www.theguardian.com
- A damaged ancient scroll from the library of a Roman villa in Herculaneum, burnt by the Vesuvius eruption, has been virtually unwrapped and read using artificial intelligence.
- Researchers uncovered 20 columns of previously hidden stoic philosophy text dating to the second or late-third century BC.
- The scroll, named PHerc 1667, is part of a collection of hundreds from Herculaneum, but its title and authorship remain unknown.
- The text suggests it’s a stoic treatise, possibly authored by Chrysippus, discussing concepts like impulse and practical wisdom.
- The virtual unwrapping and reading were part of the Vesuvius Challenge, a 2023 global contest using AI to read carbonised scrolls from the site.
