In a remarkable breakthrough for historical research, scientists have successfully deciphered part of an ancient scroll that was carbonised in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly two millennia ago. The discovery, involving cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence, has opened a window into the lost knowledge of the past and sheds light on texts that were previously thought to be irretrievably lost.
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The scroll, known as PHerc. 1667, is one of the Herculaneum scrolls found in a villa in Herculaneum, a town devastated by the catastrophic eruption in 79 A.D. The eruption buried the area under ash, turning many texts into charcoal and rendering them unreadable. However, recent advancements have allowed researchers to virtually “unwrap” this particular scroll, revealing nearly five feet of text across a span of 20 columns.
Federica Nicolardi, an assistant professor in papyrology at the University of Naples Federico II, explained that the scroll had been deemed completely unreadable when part of it was opened in the 1980s. At that time, only a few isolated letters were visible, and the scroll was assigned a readability score of zero. The recent virtual unwrapping technique, however, has changed everything, providing scholars with coherent sequences of arguments that can be traced across multiple columns.
The groundbreaking announcement was made during a press conference at the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli Vittorio Emanuele III, located a mere 40 miles from Vesuvius. Brent Seales, a prominent figure in the project and a heritage science expert at the University of Kentucky, highlighted how these texts, while physically preserved for centuries, were intellectually inaccessible until now. He stated that interdisciplinary work combining advanced imaging techniques and artificial intelligence has finally made it possible to read these ancient writings.
In addition to PHerc. 1667, researchers have also uncovered over 70 columns of text from another scroll, PHerc. 172, currently housed at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. This significant progress has led to the identification of works authored by Philodemus, an Epicurean philosopher. Notably, the newly available texts include treatises such as “On Vices, Book 1” and “On Gods, Book 8,” enriching our understanding of ancient philosophical thought.
Historically, attempts to physically open the scrolls posed the danger of causing irreparable damage. The innovative approach employed by the researchers involves high-resolution micro-CT imaging and sophisticated machine-learning models. This technology produces X-ray maps of the fragile papyrus layers, allowing the scientists to digitally unroll them and identify the writing without needing to handle the scrolls directly. The machine-learning techniques also facilitate the differentiation of ink from the papyrus, enabling the researchers to discern the text hidden within the scroll’s layers.
As the focus of this research shifts from the engineers and data scientists who developed the imaging technologies to classicists and historians, the need for experts in ancient texts has become apparent. Seales remarked that while the technology is groundbreaking, the next phase of this research will require individuals who can interpret and contextualise the resurrected writings.
Today, as scholars begin to process and analyse these texts, they are not just peeling back centuries of dust but also reviving voices that have remained silent for 2,000 years. This convergence of technology and scholarly expertise promises not only to reshape our understanding of ancient literature and philosophy but also to bridge a lasting connection to the minds and ideas of the past.
The significance of this achievement extends beyond mere academic interest; it represents a technological triumph that echoes throughout the field of archaeological research. For centuries, the words of these ancient philosophers remained locked away, but through innovation and collaboration, those voices are now resonating once more. As we continue to unearth the wisdom of our ancestors, the potential for new insights into their lives and thoughts remains limitless.