Unlocking Ancient Wisdom: The Quest to Read Herculaneum Scrolls
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Chapter 1: The Challenge of the Herculaneum Scrolls
Scientists have launched a competition offering a reward of $250,000. The goal is to use artificial intelligence to unlock the secrets of an ancient treasure: the scrolls from Herculaneum, which were buried during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
On August 24, 79 AD, one of history's most significant disasters took place. The eruption of Vesuvius engulfed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under layers of ash. Archaeological efforts have revealed the remains of 1,500 individuals from these locales, forever preserving their stories.
The eruption did not only claim lives; it also entombed structures along with their contents. Among these was the Villa of the Papyri, an opulent estate believed to have belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law. This villa housed an ancient library, situated on one of the four terraces that sloped toward the sea.
The Villa of the Papyri was uncovered around 250 years ago during early excavations in Herculaneum. Workers discovered numerous scrolls from the library, though they were too charred to read. Over time, the total count of these so-called Herculaneum scrolls has surpassed 1,800, most of which are now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
A Treasure Locked Away
Despite the immense number of ancient texts, much of this treasure remains unreadable. Ironically, the very forces that were meant to obliterate these scrolls have helped preserve them. Other ancient writings exposed to the elements have disintegrated, while the Villa of the Papyri stands as a rare surviving library from antiquity.
Unfortunately, only a handful of scrolls have been successfully opened. The rest are so severely charred that any attempt to unroll them risks complete destruction. Early workers, under the Bourbons' direction, discarded some of these blackened scrolls, deeming them worthless and unreadable.
However, advancements in technology have rekindled hope in the 21st century. Researchers have developed methods to read the Herculaneum scrolls without physically unrolling them. In 2009, the first attempt was made when scientists X-rayed two scrolls at the French National Library in Paris.
Digital Reconstruction of Lost Texts
Despite these efforts, the texts remained undeciphered. The high carbon content of the ink used by the scroll's authors caused the letters to merge with the charred papyrus. However, in 2015, scientists achieved a breakthrough by enhancing contrast with advanced imaging techniques, allowing them to decipher certain words.
That same year, another charred scroll, the En Gedi scroll from the Dead Sea region, was read without unrolling. Dr. Brent Seales and his team from the University of Kentucky successfully performed a “digital unfolding,” revealing the Hebrew text of the Book of Leviticus.
How to Read the Herculaneum Scrolls?
Motivated by this success, Dr. Seales turned his attention to the Herculaneum scrolls. He aimed to obtain the most precise scans possible, utilizing infrared imaging and a particle accelerator for enhanced contrast. His team then developed a machine learning model that outperformed human capabilities in recognizing the letters on the scrolls' inner layers.
Seales stated, “We demonstrated how to read the ink from Herculaneum. This opens up the possibility of deciphering 50, 60, or potentially 80 percent of the entire collection.” He likened their efforts to constructing a vessel, inviting others to join them on this extraordinary journey.
The Vesuvian Challenge: Unlocking the Scrolls
In introducing the Vesuvian Challenge, Seales called on scientific teams specializing in machine learning to contribute. He has made public 3D X-ray scans of two coiled scrolls and three papyrus fragments, along with the algorithm he developed. Participants can attempt to read the scrolls, with a grand prize of $250,000 up for grabs.
The principal prize of $150,000 will be awarded to the team that deciphers four paragraphs of text from the scrolls’ inner layers by the end of 2023. Additionally, smaller prizes of $50,000 will be given to those who successfully train the algorithm to identify ink on 3D scans of papyrus.
What might these Herculaneum scrolls reveal? The few deciphered texts are written in Greek, but researchers are hopeful of uncovering Latin writings from Roman or Christian thinkers. There is a tantalizing possibility that further discoveries await, as parts of the Villa of the Papyri remain unexcavated, potentially concealing additional scrolls yet to be read.
The first video titled "ANNOUNCEMENT: The Journey to read the Herculaneum Scrolls" discusses the ongoing efforts and significance of these ancient texts.
The second video, "Herculaneum scrolls: UK's Parsons role in 'reading the unreadable'," explores the contributions of UK researchers in this exciting field.
Chapter 2: The Future of Ancient Texts
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