Researchers have used AI to read words on ancient scrolls that perished in the eruption of Vesuvius

Scientists at the University of Kentucky have used the power of artificial intelligence to read ancient scrolls destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago during the eruption of Vesuvius.

Here's What We Know

The scrolls are fragile charred remnants of papyrus. For the study, the scientists published thousands of 3D scans of two rolled scrolls and three fragments. They also created an AI programme that was trained to read the letters based on changes in the structure of the papyrus from ancient ink.

The scrolls belong to the collection of the Institut de France in Paris. Presumably, they were part of the library of Roman statesman Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, father-in-law of Julius Caesar.

In March 2023, researchers backed by Silicon Valley investors announced the launch of Project Vesuvius, designed to speed up the process of reading texts. The competition provides cash prizes for researchers who manage to extract legible words from charred manuscripts.

Two computer science students independently found the same Greek word "πορφύραc" meaning "purple" in a scroll. The researchers will share a $50,000 cash prize between them.

Now the scientists are trying to read the surrounding text. They have already managed to read up to 10 letters in three lines and have identified at least four columns of text in one section of the scroll.

Source: The Guardian