Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
0 comments 
Discover the Secrets of Ancient Rome: 3D Technology and AI Decipher Charred Herculaneum Scrolls during the Eruption of Vesuvius.
Advances in 3D imaging technology and artificial intelligence are allowing researchers to uncover secrets buried for nearly 2,000 years. Recently, scientists managed to read part of the content of a scroll charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79.
The find 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 under the ashes of Vesuvius.
-
Smart bin in London tracked pedestrians’ cell phones, used WiFi to measure urban circulation, raised a privacy alert, and showed how a simple bin can become a street spy.
-
The airport that promises to bring tourists closer to Machu Picchu has become a symbol of threat to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with protests, warnings from archaeologists, and fear of transforming cultural heritage into a corridor for mass tourism.
-
Part of Brazil will be able to see this Sunday the Moon hide Antares, a supergiant star 883 times larger than the Sun, in a rare occultation visible throughout the Southern Region and areas of SP, RJ, MS, and southern Minas during the night and early morning.
-
South Korea creates an unusual napping competition to combat extreme sleep deprivation and an exhausting routine that concerns experts.
This site may have belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, and its library contains hundreds of scrolls that remained indecipherable for centuries due to their charred condition.
Unlike Pompeii, where the eruption preserved structures and human bodies under layers of ash, in Herculaneum, the extreme heat carbonized wood and organic materials, such as papyri.
This transformed the manuscripts into blocks of fragile material that crumbled at the slightest touch.
X-Ray and Artificial Intelligence Reveal the Hidden Text
Thanks to 3D X-ray technology and machine learning, researchers were able to digitally “unroll” the PHerc. 172 without physically damaging it.
The images were processed to highlight the ink, which is practically invisible to the naked eye.
It is believed that this manuscript contains 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
The Vesuvius Challenge has already awarded researchers who managed to identify 2,000 Greek characters in another scroll.
This competition has distributed prizes of up to US$ 700,000 (around R$ 4 million) to those who helped unveil these ancient texts.
Among the documents already translated, one may have been written by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus.
This text discusses themes such as pleasure, music, and food, reflecting on whether happiness lies in abundance or scarcity.
The Future of Research and the Hope for New Texts
Currently, researchers are continuing to refine the images of PHerc. 172 to reveal more details of the text.
The hope is that soon it will be possible to identify the title of the work and better understand its content.
The X-ray technique used was performed with a synchrotron, a particle accelerator located in the United Kingdom.
With the advancement of technology and the engagement of the scientific community, many other hidden secrets in the Herculaneum scrolls are expected to be revealed, offering a new perspective on the philosophy, literature, and culture of Ancient Rome.
-
4 people reacted to this.