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The Herculaneum Scrolls: A Breakthrough in Ancient Mysteries
London — The Herculaneum scrolls have intrigued scholars and history enthusiasts for nearly two millennia. Charred by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., these papyrus texts were unearthed in an elite villa in Herculaneum, a town that, alongside Pompeii, suffered immense devastation during the volcanic event. Discovered in the 18th century, the scrolls were so severely burned that opening them was largely deemed impossible.
For over 250 years, various efforts to access the contents of these fragile relics included the use of unconventional methods, ranging from rose water and mercury to more recent approaches like vegetable gas and papyrus juice, as detailed by the New Yorker.
While some scrolls yielded texts focused on ancient Greek philosophy, many remained illegible due to their extensive damage. However, advancements in technology have paved new paths for research, with innovative techniques employing artificial intelligence, along with X-ray and CT scanning, facilitating the identification of ink patterns against the papyrus background.
Recent Developments
In a significant announcement made recently, researchers disclosed a major advancement in their quest to unlock the mysteries of the scrolls. The focus was on a specific scroll known as PHerc.172, one of three housed at the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford.
A dedicated team associated with the Vesuvius Challenge—a competition aimed at encouraging innovative solutions to decipher the delicate texts—successfully digitally unwrapped the papyrus, revealing previously obscured columns of text. Oxford scholars have already embarked on interpreting these newly accessible writings.
“This scroll contains more recoverable text than we have ever seen in a scanned Herculaneum scroll,” stated Brent Seales, co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge.
Confidence in Deciphering
Project lead Stephen Parsons expressed a high level of optimism regarding this breakthrough. “We’re confident we will be able to read pretty much the whole scroll in its entirety, and it’s the first time we’ve really been able to say that with high confidence,” he shared with CBS News’ corresponding network, BBC News. “Now we can work on making it show up more clearly. We’re going to go from a handful of words to really substantial passages.”
This achievement was made possible when the Bodleian team took the damaged scroll to the Diamond Light Source research facility in Oxfordshire. Experts employed an advanced X-ray tool known as a synchrotron, which produced a powerful beam capable of penetrating the delicate material without causing harm.
“It can see things on the scale of a few thousandths of a millimeter,” remarked Adrian Mancuso, the facility’s director of physical sciences. “We have to work out which layer is different from the next layer so we can unroll that digitally.”
Previous Successes
Last year, the Vesuvius Challenge recognized three students with its $700,000 grand prize for using artificial intelligence to help decode approximately 5% of another scroll, believed to be centered on Greek Epicurean philosophy.
Researchers believe the scroll that was recently digitally unfurled may cover similar philosophical themes. Nicole Gilroy, head of book conservation at the Bodleian Libraries, reflected on the human connection embedded in these ancient writings. “There’s a real human aspect to it that I just think is really precious.”
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