AI helps virtually unwrap and read ancient Vesuvius-burnt scroll
10 reported1 unconfirmed
Researchers have used artificial intelligence to virtually unwrap and read part of an ancient scroll that was burnt to a crisp when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago. The surviving portion of the scroll, named PHerc 1667, was broken in half and damaged by past handling, leaving it at half its original size. The work uncovered 20 columns of previously hidden text covering more than a metre of charred papyrus. The scroll discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour and dates to the second or late-third century BC. The achievement will be announced at a conference in Naples on Thursday and is the latest from the Vesuvius Challenge, a global contest launched in 2023 to read carbonised scrolls. The text is believed to be a stoic treatise, possibly authored by the Greek philosopher Chrysippus. Another virtually unwrapped scroll revealed that Philodemus’s work “On Gods” was a multi-book work, with only the first book previously identified.
What’s reported
The scroll, named PHerc 1667, was recovered from the library of a luxury Roman villa in Herculaneum, buried by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The surviving portion is 8cm tall and 2cm wide, half the size of the original.
Researchers uncovered 20 columns of text covering more than a metre of papyrus without physically unrolling it.
The scroll dates to the second or late-third century BC, making it one of the oldest in the Herculaneum collection.
The text discusses stoic concepts including hormē (impulse) and phronēsis (practical wisdom).
The author warns that failing to regulate behaviour with reason can lead to harmful passions.
Analysis suggests the text is a stoic treatise, possibly by Greek philosopher Chrysippus, who was the third head of the stoic school.
Another scroll contained the words “Philodemus, On Gods, Book 8,” revealing it was a multi-book work.
The Vesuvius Challenge was founded on work by Prof Brent Seales of the University of Kentucky, using machine-learning algorithms trained on X-ray images.
The contest has handed out hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes.
Open questions
The title and author of scroll PHerc 1667 remain unknown, though analysis points to Chrysippus.
Key figures
Dr Federica Nicolardi, papyrologist at the University of Naples Federico II
Prof Brent Seales, computer scientist at the University of Kentucky
Philodemus of Gadara, Epicurean philosopher and poet (first century BC)
Chrysippus, Greek philosopher (third head of the stoic school)
Aristocreon, nephew and pupil of Chrysippus
Sources: The Guardian
