Scientists explain new secrets from ancient scrolls burned by the eruption of Vesuvius: “Finally I can read it”

A University of Kentucky project using artificial intelligence to help unravel an ancient Roman mystery has led to a major discovery, researchers announced Thursday.

In 79 AD, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the Roman city of Pompeii and the nearby city of Herculaneum. During excavations in Herculaneum in the 18th century, archaeologists found 1,800 papyrus scrolls in one area. an incomplete ancient librarydeep in the site of a small house that was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius. But it was impossible to read: The scrolls were crumpled and burned, and unwrapping them reduced them to ashes.

Researchers have been trying to decipher these scrolls for centuries. Recent technology has led to the success of: A particle accelerator and AI they were used to find ink, even small letters, allowing researchers to decipher these sensitive scrolls. But translating an ancient language is another project entirely.

In 2023, Brent Seales launched the Vesuvius Challenge, a global competition that offers prize money to those who can help translate the writing. Three college students became the first is to extract the words from the carbonized scroll in 2024. But they only translated about 5% of one volume.

The second phase of the challenge resulted in a major discovery on Thursday. The University of Kentucky’s Stanley and Karen Pigman School of Engineering, which is leading the research in collaboration with the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli Vittorio Emanuele III in Naples, said experts have opened nearly all of one volume, found more than 70 columns of text in one, identified two new books from ancient Rome, and found “enough new documents to support a scholar.”

A nearly folded scroll, PHErc. 1667, is one of the oldest in the collection, says Nicolardi. Since it has been opened, efforts to find out who wrote the paper are ongoing. One of the books reveals that the philosopher Philodemus wrote a series of eight books. Only one book was previously known to exist.

“Nearly two thousand years old, many of these documents are physically preserved but intellectually inaccessible,” Seales said in a news release. “Today – after many years of interdisciplinary work including advanced imaging, artificial intelligence (AI), academic research and innovation competition – we are finally able to study them.”

The amount of text presented means that scholars can read volumes as whole arguments, rather than fragments. Federica Nilardi, an assistant professor in papyrology at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Naples, said that marks a “transformational change” for researchers.

“Today, we are hearing voices that have been silent for 2,000 years,” Seales said. “For the first time, we are uncovering them and studying them – but more importantly – we are beginning to understand them.”

However, more than 600 volumes remain unopened and unread. Giorgio Angelotti, who is leading the project with the Vesuvius Challenge, said that the effort is “ongoing” and that the archaeologists need “everyone’s help to read the scrolls.” Seales said he believes every library can be defined.

“This is no longer just about taking pictures or machine learning,” Seales said. “Now we need professionals who can read, organize and understand what they are saying.”