The ancient scrolls of Herculaneum, buried beneath layers of volcanic ash following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, are finally revealing their secrets. These charred and fragile texts, excavated by archeologists in the 1750s, have long posed a challenge to scholars due to their delicate nature. Housed at the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries, these scrolls are now undergoing a revolutionary examination with cutting-edge technology, including a particle accelerator known as the synchrotron at Diamond Light Source.
This innovative approach to unlocking the contents of the scrolls involves accelerating electrons to nearly the speed of light. This process generates an intense light, estimated to be 10 billion times brighter than the sun, and 100 billion times brighter than a standard hospital X-ray machine. Such unprecedented brightness allows researchers to scan the scrolls and uncover hidden text that has remained obscured for centuries.
Brent Seales, co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge, remarked on the significance of recent findings from PHerc.172, a scroll attributed to the philosopher and poet Philodemus of Gadara, who lived between 110 and 30 B.C.
"This scroll contains more recoverable text than we have ever seen in a scanned Herculaneum scroll," – Brent Seales
The recent scans have enabled researchers to identify several ancient Greek words such as "foolish" (ἀδιάληπτος), "fear" (φοβ), "disgust" (διατροπή), and "life" (βίου). In another scroll, the phrase "purple dye" or "clothes of purple" (πορφύραc) has been discerned. Despite these breakthroughs, much of the ancient text remains undeciphered, underscoring the immense task that lies ahead for scholars.
The project represents a remarkable collaboration among librarians, computer scientists, and classical scholars, all working together to bring history back to life. Richard Ovenden, a prominent figure involved in this endeavor, highlighted the historical significance of this interdisciplinary effort.
"It's an incredible moment in history as librarians, computer scientists and scholars of the classical period are collaborating to see the unseen," – Richard Ovenden
The Vesuvius Challenge's machine learning tool plays a crucial role in this process. While it can detect ink on the scrolls, it does not comprehend language or recognize characters. However, advancements in artificial intelligence have proven instrumental; in 2023, a contestant utilized AI to identify a word and several letters from one of the Herculaneum scrolls.
The synchrotron's capabilities have allowed researchers to achieve unparalleled clarity in the scans of PHerc.172, revealing more recoverable text than ever before. This achievement marks a significant milestone in classical studies and offers hope for further discoveries within these ancient documents.
