AI Unlocks Ancient Scrolls Lost to History
Researchers have used artificial intelligence to virtually unwrap and read a 2,000-year-old papyrus scroll that was carbonised during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Without physically opening the fragile artefact, AI and advanced X-ray imaging revealed more than a metre of previously hidden text discussing Stoic philosophy, ethics and human behaviour.
The breakthrough is part of the Vesuvius Challenge, a global initiative using AI to recover the contents of hundreds of damaged scrolls discovered in the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum. The achievement demonstrates how emerging technologies are transforming the preservation and accessibility of cultural heritage, allowing archivists, historians and researchers to recover information once thought to be permanently lost.