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Scientists reveal secrets of ancient scrolls burned by Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to read carbonized papyrus scrolls from the ancient site of Herculaneum. The recovered texts include philosophical treatises on ethics, art, and human behavior. These documents were preserved by volcanic ash after the 79 AD eruption.

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AI has enabled the recovery of complete and partial texts from scrolls without physically opening them.

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  1. AI Deciphers Ancient Herculaneum Scrolls Burned by Mount Vesuvius

    Scientists have used artificial intelligence to read carbonized papyrus scrolls from the ancient site of Herculaneum. The recovered texts include philosophical treatises on ethics, art, and human behavior. These documents were preserved by volcanic ash after the 79 AD eruption.

    What's confirmed:

    • The scrolls were charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
    • Researchers used artificial intelligence to decipher the text of the carbonized papyrus.
    • The recovered texts discuss stoic philosophy, ethics, art, and human behavior.
    • The scrolls were part of a library discovered during an 18th-century archaeological dig.
    • The process involved digitally unrolling the scrolls without physically opening them.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • The recovered texts include theology.
    • The scrolls were burned at Pompeii.
    confidence 95%