Researchers have virtually unwrapped and read a carbonized papyrus scroll, PHerc 1667, buried during the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Using machine-learning algorithms developed through the Vesuvius Challenge, scientists decoded 20 columns of a second- or third-century BC Stoic treatise, possibly written by Chrysippus. This breakthrough shifts the field from technical decoding to scholarly analysis of ancient philosophy.
Virtual unwrapping of Herculaneum scroll
- ▪The scroll PHerc 1667 is currently half its original size, measuring 8cm tall and 2cm wide, because past physical unwrapping attempts caused outer layers to disintegrate
- ▪Researchers virtually unwrapped and read 20 columns of previously hidden text covering more than a meter of the charred papyrus scroll PHerc 1667 without physically unrolling it
- ▪Physical attempts to read the carbonized scrolls since their discovery in 1752, including splitting them or using chemicals, destroyed them or rendered them illegible
Machine learning text recognition
- ▪Professor Brent Seales demonstrated that machine-learning algorithms can be trained to read ink on hidden scroll layers by identifying subtle differences in papyrus fibers in X-ray images
- ▪The Vesuvius Challenge uses high-resolution X-ray images and machine-learning software to virtually unwrap and read carbonized scrolls
Stoic philosophy treatise content
- ▪The newly read text from scroll PHerc 1667 discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art, and human behavior, dating to the second or late-third century BC
- ▪The text of scroll PHerc 1667 discusses the stoic concepts of "horme" (impulse) and "phronesis" (practical wisdom), warning that failing to regulate behavior with reason leads to harmful passions
Chrysippus potential authorship
- ▪Analysis by Dr. Federica Nicolardi and colleagues suggests the text of scroll PHerc 1667 is a stoic treatise potentially authored by the Greek philosopher Chrysippus
- ▪The text of scroll PHerc 1667 refers to Aristocreon, who was the nephew and pupil of the Greek philosopher Chrysippus
Vesuvius Challenge competition
- ▪The virtual unwrapping of scroll PHerc 1667 is the latest achievement of the Vesuvius Challenge, with results scheduled to be announced at a conference in Naples on June 25, 2026
- ▪The Vesuvius Challenge, launched in 2023, is a global contest backed by Silicon Valley donors that awards prizes for using artificial intelligence to read carbonized scrolls
Herculaneum library historical context
- ▪Another virtually unwrapped scroll from the Herculaneum collection contained the words "Philodemus, On Gods, Book 8", revealing that "On Gods" was a multi-book work
- ▪Scroll PHerc 1667 was recovered from the library of a luxury Roman villa in Herculaneum, which was buried under ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79
- ▪Much of the recovered Herculaneum library was dominated by works of Philodemus of Gadara, an Epicurean philosopher and poet from the first century BC
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