AI to help solve code of charred ancient scrolls

Some of the ancient scrolls scientists are working on

Scientists hope a mix of artificial intelligence and human expertise will help decipher ancient scrolls carbonised by a volcanic eruption 2,000 years ago. Hundreds of papyrus scrolls were found in the 1750s in the remains of a lavish villa at the Roman town of Herculaneum, which along with neighboring Pompeii was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.

The scrolls have been rolled up into the size of a candy bar. Heat and volcanic ash from Vesuvius destroyed the town and preserved the scrolls, but in an unreadable state, turning them into charred fragile blocks that disintegrate if unrolled. Scholars and scientists have worked for more than 250 years on ways to decipher the scrolls, the vast majority of which are held in the National Library of Naples.

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