Imagine being able to unlock the secrets of the past, to delve into the depths of history, and uncover knowledge that has been hidden for centuries. Thanks to the power of artificial intelligence (AI), a group of talented students has done just that. They have successfully decoded a 2,000-year-old burned scroll, potentially rewriting ancient history in the process.
The Herculaneum papyri, a collection of around 800 Greek scrolls, were tragically turned into carbon during the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. These ancient treasures, resembling nothing more than charred logs, have been carefully preserved at the Institut de France in Paris and the National Library of Naples. However, previous attempts to open and decipher them have resulted in extensive damage and crumbling.
Enter Brent Seales, a brilliant computer scientist from the University of Kentucky, and Nat Friedman, the founder of Github. They organized a contest called the “Vesuvius Challenge” to find a solution. The challenge involved high-resolution CT scans of four scrolls, and a tantalizing $1 million reward to inspire researchers to unlock their secrets.
It was a team of exceptional young minds who rose to the occasion. Youssef Nader, a PhD student from Berlin, Luke Farritor, a student and SpaceX intern hailing from Nebraska, and Julian Schilliger, a talented Swiss robotics student, combined their skills and utilized AI to identify ink from papyrus and decipher the nearly illegible Greek letters by recognizing patterns.
Their groundbreaking work can potentially rewrite the history of key periods in the ancient world. “Some of these texts could completely rewrite the history of key periods of the ancient world,” exclaimed Robert Fowler, the chair of the Herculaneum Society. The challenge required the researchers to decode four passages of at least 140 characters, with a minimum of 85% character recovery.
Last year, Farritor achieved a major breakthrough by decoding the Greek word for “purple” from one of the scrolls, earning him first place in the prestigious First Letters Prize. Nader also made significant progress by deciphering several columns of text, securing second place. Schilliger’s exceptional work on the Volume Cartographer, which enabled the 3D-mapping of the papyrus areas, earned him three prizes.
Together, their efforts have now decrypted approximately 5% of the scrolls, bringing us closer to unraveling the mysteries of the past. These scrolls were discovered in a villa believed to have belonged to Julius Caesar’s patrician father-in-law, a man known to have possessed an extensive library housing thousands of manuscripts.
Thanks to the ingenuity of these young researchers and the power of AI, we are on the brink of rewriting ancient history. The secrets contained within these scrolls have the potential to reshape our understanding of the ancient world and shed new light on pivotal moments in history. It is a testament to human curiosity and the remarkable capabilities of AI working together.
As we continue to unlock the secrets of the past, we are reminded of the importance of preserving and protecting our historical artifacts. These scrolls, once thought to be lost forever, are now being brought back to life with the help of technology and human ingenuity. Who knows what other treasures lie waiting to be discovered, just waiting for a curious mind and a little AI magic?