2,000-Year-Old Mystery Solved: AI Deciphers Ancient Scroll

Here's what it's all about

• For the first time, researchers have completely digitally deciphered an ancient scroll from Herculaneum—without opening or damaging it.
• The breakthrough was made possible by AI and modern imaging as part of the “Vesuvius Challenge.”
• The scroll, which is about 2,000 years old, contains a philosophical text on ethics. Other charred scrolls may now also be deciphered.

Summary created with

For nearly 2,000 years, it seemed impossible to read an ancient papyrus scroll from Herculaneum without destroying it. Now, an international research team has achieved just that: It has completely deciphered the sealed papyrus scroll PHerc. 1667—without opening it or even touching it, reports SRF.

The scroll comes from the Roman city of Herculaneum, which was buried under a meter-thick layer of ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Along with the city, a large villa containing a private library also disappeared.

It wasn't until the 1750s that an Italian farmworker stumbled upon the buried villa. During the subsequent excavations, archaeologists discovered more than 1,800 charred papyrus scrolls.

AI Enables a Breakthrough

They were not burned, but had been charred by the heat and then sealed airtight beneath the ash. As a result, they were preserved for centuries.

This achievement came as part of the “Vesuvius Challenge”, an international competition in which researchers develop new methods for digitally reading ancient scrolls.

The PHerc. 1667 scroll was deciphered, though only the portion that still exists today. Earlier attempts to open the scroll mechanically had already destroyed large sections of it. Only the compact inner core remained—about one-third of the original scroll.

Philosophical text from antiquity

A philosophical treatise on ethics came to light. It is believed to date from the 2nd century B.C. and deals with human nature, inner motivations, and moral progress.

The researchers have made their data and methods publicly available. This allows other teams to verify the results and decipher additional ancient scrolls.

The “Vesuvius Challenge” has awarded over $1.8 million in prize money to date. The competition continues: The library in Herculaneum still contains numerous charred papyrus scrolls that no one has been able to read since the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.