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Discover the secrets of Ancient Rome: 3D technology and AI decipher Herculaneum scrolls charred during Vesuvius eruption.
Advances in 3D imaging technology and artificial intelligence are allowing researchers to unlock secrets buried nearly 2.000 years ago. Scientists were recently able to read part of the contents of a scroll that was charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD.
The finding revealed an unusual word: “disgust.”
The Discovery of the Lost Scroll
The papyrus, identified as PHerc. 172, was found in the library of a luxurious mansion in Herculaneum, a neighboring city of Pompeii that was also buried by the ashes of Vesuvius.
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This place may have belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law, and his library contains hundreds of scrolls that, for centuries, remained indecipherable due to their charred state.
Unlike Pompeii, where the eruption preserved structures and human bodies under layers of ash, in Herculaneum, the extreme heat charred wood and organic materials, such as papyrus.
This turned the manuscripts into blocks of fragile material that would fall apart at the slightest contact.
X-ray and artificial intelligence reveal hidden text
Thanks to 3D X-ray technology and machine learning, researchers were able to digitally “unroll” PHerc. 172 without physically damaging it.
The images were processed to highlight the ink, which is virtually invisible to the naked eye.
This manuscript is believed to contain a philosophical composition, and the Greek word “διατροπή” (translated as “disgust”) has already appeared at least twice in the text.
The work was carried out by the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, in partnership with the Vesuvius Challenge, a competition that encourages experts and enthusiasts to use technology to decipher the Herculaneum scrolls.
Prizes for those who help in deciphering
O Vesuvius Challenge has already awarded awards to researchers who managed to identify 2.000 Greek characters on another parchment.
This competition has already distributed prizes of up to US$700 (around R$4 million) to those who helped to unravel these ancient texts.
Among the documents already translated, one of them may have been written by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus.
This text discusses topics such as pleasure, music and food, reflecting on whether happiness lies in abundance or scarcity.
The future of research and the hope of new texts
Currently, researchers continue to refine the imagery from PHerc. 172 to reveal more details of the text.
The hope is that it will soon be possible to identify the title of the work and better understand its content.
The X-ray technique used was carried out with a synchrotron, a particle accelerator located in the United Kingdom.
As technology advances and the scientific community engages, it is expected that many more secrets hidden in the Herculaneum scrolls will be revealed, offering new insights into the philosophy, literature and culture of Ancient Rome.
