A team of researchers from around the world has achieved the feat of reading fragments of text from one of the charred scrolls of the ancient library of Herculaneum, buried 2000 years ago by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

These scrolls were discovered by chance in the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum in the late 18th century. However, their content remained inaccessible due to the carbonization process they underwent during the eruption, which made them a mystery to scholars for centuries.

The breakthrough was achieved thanks to the application of high-resolution X-ray tomography at the Diamond Light Source particle accelerator in the UK. Researchers scanned and digitally reconstructed the interior of the scrolls without the need to physically unroll them and cause damage, as had been unsuccessfully attempted in the past.

This technique allowed virtually segmenting the folds of the ancient papyrus layer and digitally unfolding it flat. Key to this was the work of the segmentation team led by researchers Seth Parker, Ben Kyles, and David Josey.

Fragment of the scroll that could be read, 5 percent of the total
Fragment of the scroll that could be read, 5 percent of the total | photo Vesuvius Challenge

Once these two-dimensional sections were available, the major pending challenge was to identify the trace of the writing, practically invisible to the naked eye. For this, scientists worldwide are participating in the so-called “Vesuvius Challenge”, driven by researchers from the University of Kentucky and the startup EduceLab.

The goal is to train artificial intelligence models capable of recognizing ink residues in the tomographies. After nearly a year of work, a team composed of Youssef Nader, Luke Farritor, and Julian Schilliger succeeded in developing the winning techniques.

Their method, which combined deep learning and machine learning, achieved an 85% accuracy in recognizing letters in a fragment equivalent to 15 columns of text, representing almost 5% of the total content of the scroll.

Thus, researchers were able to transcribe for the first time in history words from the hidden philosophical text, possibly written by Philodemus of Gadara, of the Epicurean school, on the subject of pleasure in the 1st century AD. Fragments like in the case of food, we do not immediately believe that scarce things are absolutely more pleasant now illuminate a previously inaccessible ancient world.

Researchers Brent Seales, Seth Parker, and Michael Drakopoulos at the particle accelerator
Researchers Brent Seales, Seth Parker, and Michael Drakopoulos at the particle accelerator | photo Vesuvius Challenge

Another passage wonders if it is easier to do without abundant goods naturally. These questions will be considered frequently, reads the nearly 2000-year-old text.

This scientific milestone represents a revolution for the study of Greco-Roman antiquity. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for the systematic reading of hundreds of scrolls yet to be explored, which could contain an even larger library buried underground.

A project that demonstrated that through the collaboration of thousands of minds internationally, science can achieve unthinkable feats and recover voices from the past in pursuit of a greater understanding of our origins.

Sources

Vesuvius Challenge

  • Share this article:
books-768426_1280-2
When the Codex Overtook the Scroll as the Format for Books Recently, following the article we published about the origins of the books in the Library of Alexandria, a somewhat finicky (and indeed quite mistaken) reader confronted us on a social…
Interior of Piscina Mirabilis
Piscina Mirabilis, the Impressive Roman Water Reservoir as Large as a Basilica In the year 27 B.C., Marco Agrippa, the general and close friend of Emperor Augustus, established the base of the Roman fleet, known as the Classis Misenensis, at the Portus…
The castellum aquae of Pompeii, where the water of the Aqua Augusta arrived
Aqua Augusta, the Great Work of Roman Hydraulic Engineering that Supplied more than 10 Cities, Including Pompeii and Herculaneum Between the years 33 and 12 BC, one of the largest and most complex Roman aqueducts was constructed, known as the Aqua Augusta. Later called the Serino Aqueduct (because it…
The temple of Isis at Pompeii
The Temple of Isis at Pompeii, One of the First Buildings to be Unearthed from the Ashes The Temple of the Egyptian goddess Isis in Pompeii was discovered in 1764 during the initial archaeological excavations of the ancient Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius…
Età_augustea,_affresco_delle_nozze_aldobrandini,_dai_pressi_della_distrutta_chiesa_di_s._giuliano_l’ospitaliero_sull’esquilino,_02-2
The Aldobrandini Wedding, the Most Famous and Admired Roman Fresco until Pompeii was Discovered Since the Renaissance, the search for ancient remains, statues, marbles, and any object that could be sold to collectors in Rome was the order of the day. By the early…
Illustration of one of the Grimm's fairy tales, by Arthur Rackhman
Books from the Library of the Brothers Grimm Discovered in Poland May Provide Clues to their Method of Selecting Fairy Tales The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are known for their fairy tales, which have entered the literary canon. However, they spent almost their entire lives developing Germanic philology. New discoveries…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.