A scroll that was charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which buried a Roman villa nearly two millennia ago, has been recognized as a significant work by ancient Greek philosophers.
Researchers identified the title and author within a Herculaneum scroll by using X-ray technology on the carbonized papyrus and employing computer software to “unroll” it. These key findings were initially uncovered through this innovative approach.
X-ray images revealed lettering indicating that the scroll is part of a multi-volume set by Philodemus, a philosophical figure from the first century BC. This particular scroll is among three Herculanean texts housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
“This is the first scroll where we can actually see ink through a scan,” remarked Dr. Michael Makosker, a papirologist at the University of London. “Before this, it was unclear if what we were looking at was even writing.”
The scroll is one of many discovered in the opulent Roman villa, thought to belong to Julius Caesar’s stepfather. The villa was lost under layers of ash and pumice when Herculaneum, near Naples, was also devastated in the AD 79 eruption.
Excavations in the 18th century unearthed several ancient scrolls, the majority of which are now located in the National Library of Naples. Unfortunately, due to severe damage, attempts to open these scrolls often result in them crumbling, and the ink becomes illegible when the papyrus is carbonized.
This recent discovery is part of advancements made in the Vesuvius Challenge, a global project initiated in 2023. Last year, a team of tech-savvy students won a $700,000 prize for creating AI software that enabled them to decipher 2,000 ancient Greek letters from another scroll.
A scroll identified as Pererc. 172 was scanned at Diamond, the UK’s national synchrotron facility in Oxfordshire, in July. Some ink was visible in the X-ray images, revealing the ancient Greek term “abhorrence” at least twice.
Researchers Shawn Johnson, along with Marcelulos and Mikanowork from the University of Würzburg, identified the title and author of the text in the inner section of the scroll, earning the Challenge’s first prize of $60,000.
In addition to “on vices” and “Philodemus,” the scroll’s designation may be alpha, indicating it might be the first book in this series. The work spans at least ten books, addressing themes such as arrogance, greed, flattery, and household management.
As time goes on, experts hope to learn more about these ancient scrolls. Eighteen of them were scanned at Diamond in March, and twenty more will be scanned soon at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble.
“We detect ink in many new scrolls we scan, but we haven’t yet converted that into coherent text,” explained Dr. Brent Shields, a computer scientist from the University of Kentucky who co-founded the Vesuvius Challenge. “That’s the challenge we’re facing now.”
Dr. Makosker added, “The pace of discovery is accelerating rapidly. The technological advancements achieved in the last three to five years have been remarkable, especially in the context of classical studies. Everything we retrieve from the Herculaneum Library feels revolutionary.”
