For centuries, the Herculaneum
papyri, a collection of 800 Greek scrolls preserved by the fiery wrath of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, have remained frustratingly mute. Though not victims of bad handwriting, time and decay rendered their text invisible, locking away their secrets for two millennia.
While many know the tragedy of
Pompeii, Vesuvius also consumed nearby
Roman cities, including the affluent
Herculaneum in southern Italy. Evidence suggests it was likely a coastal retreat for Rome's elite. Among its preserved wonders was the Villa of the Papyri, an extraordinary library boasting over 1,800 papyrus scrolls — the Herculaneum papyri.
Though the eruption's heat miraculously preserved these scrolls, centuries of ink smudging and material breakdown left them unreadable. However, a glimmer of hope has emerged from the ashes thanks to three researchers who harnessed the power of
AI to unlock a portion of one scroll. Their efforts, rewarded with $700,000 in the "Vesuvius Challenge," bring us closer to understanding the lavish lives of the Roman elite.
Launched in 2023, the ambitious Vesuvius Challenge aimed to decipher ancient scrolls using "computer vision, machine learning, and hard work." Participants successfully read text from an unopened scroll using virtual unrolling and AI, demonstrating the potential of these techniques. Now, the goal is to unlock an entire library, scaling up methods to read whole scrolls and establish an efficient process for the 800 scrolls held in Naples.
The winning team, comprising
Youssef Nader,
Luke Farritor, and
Julian Schilliger, used AI to decipher faint lettering and distinguish ink from the fragile papyrus. Their groundbreaking work recovered around 5% of the text, revealing discussions on "music, food, and how to enjoy life's pleasures." Experts believe these insights may have come from the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus.
Intriguingly, the Villa of the Papyri has been linked to Julius Caesar's family, and some believe it could hold thousands more manuscripts. Considering only 3-5% of ancient Greek texts survive, unlocking this library could be revolutionary. The next phase of the competition aims to decipher 85% of the first scroll and pave the way for the remaining 799.
Experts like Federica Nicolardi hail this achievement as "the start of a revolution in Herculaneum papyrology and in Greek philosophy in general." As AI tools continue to evolve, they unlock the secrets hidden in the ashes, offering unparalleled insights into the lost world of the Roman elite and enriching our understanding of the ancient world.
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