Tech breakthrough in digital humanities using AI and X-ray imaging

First Complete Reading of a Herculaneum Scroll Achieved

For the first time, an entire ancient Herculaneum scroll was virtually unwrapped and read without damaging it, thanks to cutting-edge technology.

~6 min•Tech
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01 · The Setup

Unlocking a centuries-old mystery

PHerc. 1667, sealed since Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD, has been virtually unwrapped and read from beginning to end.

To read one was to destroy it.S1
0Years sealed

sources

name
An entire Herculaneum scroll has been read for the first time
Source of the main narrative
02 · The Method

High-tech imaging and AI to reveal hidden text

The scroll was scanned with high-resolution X-rays, reconstructed digitally, and machine learning brought out faint ink traces.

It is the first Herculaneum papyrus to be digitally unrolled and read in full.S1

technologies

name
Phase-contrast X-ray microtomography at ESRF
Imaging technique used
03 · The Content

A Stoic philosophical treatise uncovered

The recovered text is a philosophical treatise on ethics, likely a Stoic work attributed to Aristocreon, dating to the 2nd century BC.

It turns on human nature, impulse, and the moral progress of human beings.S1
04 · The Impact

Open data and scalable method for future scrolls

All tomographic data, reconstructions, transcriptions, and code are openly available under a Creative Commons licence.

Anyone can check the work, build on it, and apply it to the scrolls that remain.S1