AI is unlocking our ability to decipher ancient texts –and could rewrite history

Mount Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD carbonized hundreds of papyrus scrolls discovered in a Roman villa in Herculaneum, but artificial intelligence is now helping researchers read these previously inaccessible ancient texts.

The breakthrough moment: In October 2023, researchers successfully used AI to reveal clearly legible Greek text from a Herculaneum scroll that had been unreadable for 2,000 years.

• The achievement came through the Vesuvius Challenge, a competition offering cash prizes for developing AI solutions to read the scrolls
• Computer science students Youssef Nader, Luke Farritor, and Julian Schilliger won $700,000 for producing 16 columns of readable text
• The revealed text appears to be a previously unknown philosophical work about music, pleasure, and sensation

Technical innovation: Advanced AI models and imaging techniques have made this historical breakthrough possible.

• Researchers used high-resolution CT scans combined with “virtual unwrapping” technology to view the scrolls’ internal structure
• A specialized AI model called TimeSformer helped detect subtle differences between ink-covered and bare papyrus surfaces
• The technology overcame the challenge of reading carbon-based ink, which typically appears invisible in CT scans due to having the same density as papyrus

Broader applications: AI is transforming the study of ancient texts across multiple disciplines and regions.

• The Ithaca AI model helps scholars restore and date ancient Greek inscriptions with greater accuracy than human experts alone
• South Korean researchers are using AI to translate vast historical archives written in Hanja, an ancient writing system
• AI tools are being applied to decipher Oracle Bone Script in China and Linear B tablets from ancient Mycenae

Future implications: The success with the Herculaneum scrolls opens up new possibilities for accessing previously unreadable historical texts.

• Researchers plan to analyze hundreds more unopened scrolls from Herculaneum held in various collections
• The technology could be applied to texts hidden in medieval book bindings and Egyptian mummy wrappings
• Thousands more scrolls may still lie buried in the Herculaneum villa, potentially representing one of the largest discoveries of ancient texts

Looking ahead: While AI tools are proving transformative for historical research, their greatest value comes from augmenting rather than replacing human expertise. The combination of machine learning capabilities with scholarly knowledge is creating unprecedented opportunities to unlock ancient wisdom and reshape our understanding of historical civilizations.