The Vesuvius Challenge is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to virtually unroll carbonized papyrus scrolls from Herculaneum, potentially revealing ancient literature lost for 2,000 years.
These scrolls, buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, were discovered in the Villa of the Papyri, which housed the only preserved library from antiquity. Despite previous attempts to unroll them mechanically, success has been limited, with many scrolls damaged or fragmentary.
The challenge gained momentum in 2007 when University of Kentucky computer scientist Brent Seales recognized that AI could help distinguish carbon ink from the carbonized papyrus. In March 2023, the open-source competition attracted over 1,000 teams, leading to significant breakthroughs.
In October 2023, teams detected the first letters of Greek text, and by February 2024, students Youssef Nader, Luke Farritor, and Julian Schilliger revealed parts of 15 columns from a scroll, likely written by Philodemus, an Epicurean philosopher.
The process involves scanning the scrolls at high resolution and training AI models to detect ink patterns. This proof of concept suggests that more scrolls can be virtually unrolled in the future.
Funding for the next phase of the Vesuvius Challenge has been secured, aiming to accelerate the unrolling process and potentially uncover dozens of new texts, including works on ethics, mathematics, and history.
This project not only revives ancient knowledge but may also lead to new excavations at the Villa of the Papyri, hinting at further discoveries of lost masterpieces.