AI unrolls a 2,000-year-old Herculaneum scroll, revealing Stoic texts

A carbonized papyrus scroll from Herculaneum, PHerc. 1667, has been virtually unwrapped and partially deciphered using AI and CT scans as part of the Vesuvius Challenge. Researchers were able to reveal almost 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) of text across 20 columns, dating to the 2nd–3rd centuries BC and likely containing Stoic ethical discussions. The breakthrough, led by Brent Seales and collaborators, marks the first time such a scroll has been read without destructive physical unrolling, offering new insights into ancient philosophy and the scrolls’ history (including references to Philodemus).