AI Reads 2 Vesuvius Scrolls, Uncovering 70 Columns and Possible Stoic Text
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 29
AI Reads 2 Vesuvius Scrolls, Uncovering 70 Columns and Possible Stoic Text
3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 29
Summary
Researchers digitally unwrapped two Herculaneum scrolls without opening them, recovering about 5 feet of continuous Greek text from PHerc. 1667 and more than 70 columns from PHerc. 172.
The breakthrough came from the Vesuvius Challenge, which used synchrotron X-ray imaging, AI ink detection and papyrologists' analysis to read scrolls carbonized when Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in A.D. 79.
PHerc. 1667 appears to date to the second or third century B.C. and mentions Aristocreon, pointing scholars toward a Stoic ethical treatise rather than the Philodemus works that dominate the collection.
That attribution, if confirmed, could restore part of the lost record of Chrysippus and early Stoic thought; more than 600 Herculaneum scrolls still remain unopened.
This technology unlocked a lost Stoic text. What other ancient mysteries, previously deemed unsolvable, could now be within our reach?
As AI reads burnt scrolls, could lost Roman histories or Greek tragedies be the next secrets revealed from Vesuvius's ashes?
2,000 Years Unread: The AI Breakthrough Revealing the Lost Philosophy of the Herculaneum Scrolls
Overview
As of June 2026, a monumental leap in ancient philosophy was achieved with the decipherment of the Herculaneum scrolls. These carbonized scrolls, buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, are now being uncovered and read, allowing researchers to hear voices that have been silent for 2,000 years. Scholars are beginning to truly comprehend their intricate contents, overcoming the extreme fragility that once made access nearly impossible. This breakthrough offers unprecedented access to philosophical thought, marking a significant moment in our understanding of the intellectual world of antiquity.