AI Deciphers Carbonized Papyrus Scroll from Vesuvius Eruption

Artificial intelligence has enabled the reading of a carbonized papyrus scroll from Herculaneum, revealing a philosophical treatise on ethics and Stoicism. The scroll, known as PHerc 1667, was charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and had remained largely unreadable for nearly two millennia. The breakthrough was announced by the Vesuvius Challenge, a global competition that used machine learning to virtually unroll the fragile document Source: elconfidencialSource: euronewses.

The research team, led by papyrologist Federica Nicolardi, employed high-resolution CT scanning and AI models to detect ink on the carbonized surface. Previous physical attempts to open the scroll had caused damage, leaving only an 8 cm remnant. The virtual unrolling recovered nearly 1.5 meters of text across 20 columns Source: elconfidencial.

The recovered text discusses ethics, arts, and human behavior, with references to Stoic concepts such as "horme" (impulse) and "phronesis" (practical wisdom). It also names Aristocreon, a disciple of the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus, suggesting a date in the 2nd century BC Source: euronewsesSource: elconfidencial.

• The scroll was found in a villa believed to belong to Julius Caesar's father-in-law, making it part of the only surviving complete library from classical antiquity Source: elconfidencial.
• Brent Seales, co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge, remarked: "For nearly two millennia, many of these texts have been physically preserved but intellectually inaccessible" Source: euronewses.