Ancient Scroll Cracked by AI After 2,000 Years

A groundbreaking achievement in archaeology has been announced: researchers have successfully read a complete Herculaneum scroll that was carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly two millennia ago. This was accomplished non-invasively, utilizing artificial intelligence and advanced imaging techniques to virtually unwrap the fragile papyrus. This technological feat marks a pivotal moment in the quest to decipher hundreds of ancient manuscripts from the Roman town destroyed in 79 AD. The Vesuvius Challenge initiative is now incentivizing further progress by offering a $1 million prize for the full deciphering of another scroll. Previously, these delicate scrolls could not be opened without damage, but virtual unwrapping allows for both preservation and reading. Recently recovered text from one scroll, dated to 200-300 BC, explores ethics, arts, and human behavior, offering invaluable insights into ancient thought. The progress in reading these texts has been described as snowballing, with significantly more text being recovered in recent times compared to earlier efforts.