Words on mysterious scroll buried by Mount Vesuvius eruption deciphered for first time after 2,000 years

(February 8, 2024)

CBS News

Three researchers this week won a $700,000 prize for using artificial intelligence to read a 2,000-year-old scroll that was scorched in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. One expert said the breakthrough could "rewrite the history" of the ancient world. 

The Herculaneum papyri consist of about 800 rolled-up Greek scrolls that were carbonized during the 79 CE volcanic eruption that buried the ancient Roman town of Pompeii, according to the organizers of the "Vesuvius Challenge."

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Funding for this project comes from a Digital Humanities Advancement Grant and a Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant.