"AI Deciphers 2,000-Year-Old Herculaneum Scrolls for the First Time"

Three young scientists have won the grand prize in the Vesuvius Challenge for using machine learning to decipher previously unreadable passages on Herculaneum scrolls, which were buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago. By digitally "unwrapping" the scrolls using computed tomography and machine-learning technology, they were able to read four passages without unrolling the fragile documents, revealing unknown texts by Philodemus, the villa's philosopher-in-residence. This breakthrough provides a unique window into the classical world and sets the stage for further discoveries in 2024.