AI Virtually Unravels Herculaneum Scroll — First Words Decoded After 2,000 Years

Artificial intelligence has achieved a remarkable milestone by deciphering words from a 2,000-year-old Herculaneum scroll, sealed and charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Using 3D X-ray scans and advanced AI imaging, researchers digitally “unrolled” the delicate scroll, revealing the Greek word “disgust.” The breakthrough is part of the Vesuvius Challenge, a global effort to recover lost ancient texts without physically opening them.

The scroll, stored at the Institut de France, may contain writings on Epicurean philosophy—discussions about pleasure, virtue, and the nature of life. By distinguishing ink from the carbonized papyrus, AI has provided scholars with the first readable glimpse of text once thought lost forever.

Scientists say this is just the beginning. The technology could soon unlock hundreds of other scrolls from Herculaneum’s buried library, offering unprecedented insight into ancient Roman thought and culture.