Scientists have utilized AI and advanced imaging techniques to virtually unfurl a Herculaneum scroll, PHerc. 172, which has remained unread for nearly 2,000 years since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Housed at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, this scroll is written in carbon-based ink on fragile papyrus. Traditional methods of unrolling would lead to destruction; therefore, imaging technologies have allowed for the identification of ink markings, leading to the translation of some Ancient Greek words, igniting hope for further discoveries within these ancient texts.
It's an incredible moment in history as librarians, computer scientists and scholars of the classical period are collaborating to see the unseen.
The astonishing strides forward made with imaging, and AI are enabling us to look inside scrolls that have not been read for almost 2,000 years.
#herculaneum-scrolls #artificial-intelligence #ancient-greek-literature #imaging-technology #cultural-heritage
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