Title of scroll burnt to a crisp by Mt Vesuvius 2,000 years ago finally read by AI – & we even know who wrote them
The University of Oxford's Bodleian Library holds a number of the scrolls, which have been left untouched for decades
CHARRED SECRETS Title of scroll burnt to a crisp by Mt Vesuvius 2,000 years ago finally read by AI – & we even know who wrote them
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RESEARCHERS have deciphered the title and author of a charred scroll destroyed by the Mount Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago.
The tightly bound scroll cannot be opened since its delicate, burnt pages would only fall apart.
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The scroll was discovered in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town that was buried under the massive volcanic fallout from Mount Vesuvius
Credit: Vesuvius Challenge
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After 'virtually unwrapping' scroll PHerc. 172, researchers discovered it was titled On Vices by the Greek philosopher Philodemus
Credit: Vesuvius Challenge
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The text offered ancient Romans guidance for cultivating a virtuous life, according to researchers
Credit: Vesuvius Challenge
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The University of Oxford's Bodleian Library holds a number of the scrolls, which have been left untouched for decades
Credit: Vesuvius Challenge
Therefore, researchers have used a cutting-edge technique hinging on artificial intelligence (AI) to reveal the lost text.
The scroll was discovered in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town that was buried under the massive volcanic fallout from Mount Vesuvius.
After 'virtually unwrapping' scroll PHerc. 172, researchers discovered it was titled On Vices by the Greek philosopher Philodemus.
The text offered ancient Romans guidance for cultivating a virtuous life, according to researchers.
Philodemus, who lived between roughly 110 and 30 BCE, was an Epicurean philosopher and poet from Gadara.
The University of Oxford's Bodleian Library holds a number of the scrolls, which have been left untouched for decades.
But recent advancements in technology have allowed the scrolls to be 3D reconstructed with powerful X-ray beams without damaging them.
Once researchers have identified each layer of the scroll, AI is used to detect the ink.
The ink is digitally painted onto the scroll, for researchers to decipher.
As part of an international competition, researchers have found the title and author inside of a sealed scroll for the first time.
The Vesuvius Challenge awards money to all those who can help decipher the charred scrolls housed at the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford.
The Tragic History of Pompeii
Researchers behind this latest feat have been awarded the
Vesuvius Challenge First Title Prize, which includes prize money of $60,000.
This was achieved by two parties at roughly the same time - Sean Johnson from the Vesuvius Challenge, and Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak from the University of Würzburg.
The pages of the relic PHerc. 172 were first published in February, the title page had yet to be deciphered.
PHerc.172 is one of roughly 800 scrolls unearthed in the Villa of the Papyri, a luxurious estate believed to have belonged to Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, Julius Caesar's father-in-law.
How AI & X-rays are unravelling scroll secrets
AI and X-rays are revolutionising the study of ancient scrolls by enabling researchers to virtually "unroll" and decipher texts that are too fragile to handle physically.
X-rays, particularly advanced methods like X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), create highly detailed 3D scans of scrolls.
These scans capture the layers of tightly wound or damaged parchment or papyrus without physically unrolling them, preserving their integrity.
X-rays can also detect variations in density caused by metallic or carbon-based inks used in ancient writing.
AI algorithms, particularly those using deep learning, can segment layers of text by identifying and separating individual layers of the scroll from 3D X-ray data, isolating the text for analysis.
They can also recognise text by enhancing faint markings or patterns corresponding to ancient writing, often revealing characters that are invisible to the naked eye.
AI algorithms can reconstruct incomplete sections as well. Machine-learning models can fill in the gaps or predict any missing text.
For scrolls where X-rays detect ink differences, AI can distinguish metallic inks - typically used in later periods of history - from carbon-based inks, enabling a more detailed and context-sensitive interpretation.
Advanced imaging can also track even faint remnants of ink strokes, reconstructing text in incredible detail.
The villa, based in Herculaneum, was thought to house one of the finest libraries of antiquity, including works of Greek philosophy and possibly undiscovered Roman literature.
The first milestone in the Vesuvius Challenge was reached in February 2024, when three students shared a $700,000 prize for reading parts of another scroll.
The success of the competition has attracted tech moguls like Elon Musk, who funded later phases of the competition.
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The scroll was discovered in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town that was buried under the massive volcanic fallout from Mount Vesuvius
Credit: Bodleian Library
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If the two doctors are still satisfied once the period has been completed, the patients will be prescribed lethal drugs. THE PAPERWORK Brits who want to end their lives early must show have the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their life. They must also be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure. If the patient can prove this, they will then have to make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, saying they want to die. WHAT IS IN THE BILL? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill applies to those over 18, who are living in England or Wales, and have been registered with a GP for at least 12 months. They must have the mental capacity to make the choice. They must be informed and free from coercion or pressure before making the choice. According to the Bill, they must have a terminal illness and be expected to die within six months. It requires them to declare their wish twice, both witnessed and signed. Two doctors must be satisfied that these requirements are met before the application is approved. A doctor would prepare the substance being used to end the patient's life, but the person would take it themselves. Coercing someone into declaring they want to end their life will be illegal, with a possible 14-year prison sentence. However, a forensic expert who checked her body shortly after she died found injuries near her neck that appeared similar to strangulation marks. The American woman was reportedly terminally ill and had been dying for two years. She was diagnosed with Osteomyelitis - a disease that could have manifested the alleged injury marks on her neck - according to Dutch media. But her death raised a host of legal and ethical questions in Switzerland, where active euthanasia is banned but assisted dying has been legal for decades. Cops took several people into custody, including Dr Florian Willet, the president of The Last Resort organisation. The right-to-die activist, 47, suffered a mental breakdown after being arrested by Swiss Police last year, according to Dr Nitschke. As part of the probe, prosecutors investigated whether he strangled the woman, but that was ruled out. Willet was released in December after being held in pre-trial detention for 70 days. He reportedly died in Germany with the help of a specialist organisation, though it is not known exactly how he died.
