AI Deciphers Text From 2,000-Year-Old Charred Vesuvius Scroll
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Rowan Cheung@rowancheungAI is going to uncover thousands of hidden moments in history. Case in point: it just read a 2,000-year-old scroll burned into solid charcoal.
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RC Rowan Cheung@rowancheungThe Herculaneum scrolls were buried under this Roman villa when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Every attempt to physically unroll them since has instantly destroyed the layers. In 2023, a global contest called the Vesuvius Challenge launched to use AI to read the scrolls.
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RC Rowan Cheung@rowancheungResearchers used high-res X-ray scans, then machine learning detected faint traces of ancient ink hidden in the fibres. It worked. One scroll turned out to be a work on stoic philosophy. Now the race is on to uncover hundreds more.
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