Civilization / Humanities & Culture

AI Reads Herculaneum Scrolls

Machine-learning ink detection on X-ray scans reads the first words (October 2023) and passages (February 2024) of unopened carbonised scrolls.

The scrolls were buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD and are too fragile to unroll. The Vesuvius Challenge, launched in 2023, rewarded students for virtual unwrapping and ink detection; the first word read was 'purple', and the 2023 grand prize went to a team that read passages about music, food and the pleasures of life.