After 2,000 years, the mystery of the ancient Herculaneum scroll has been revealed

Few objects have aroused the curiosity of scientists as much as the Herculaneum Scrolls, ancient documents buried underground by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The priceless, rolled-up documents contain ancient text written in carbon-based ink on papyrus.

Now, for the first time, researchers have identified the title and author in one of the scrolls, known as PHerc. 172, housed in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Using artificial intelligence, the document was identified as On Vices by the Greek philosopher Philodemus, a landmark ethical treatise that provides advice on “cultivating a virtuous life.” In recognition of this achievement, the researchers have been awarded the Vesuvius Challenge First Title Prize, which includes $60,000 in prize money.

Librarian Richard Ovenden said: "Finding the full title of a work in a scroll that had been unread for two millennia is an astonishing achievement. It illustrates the enormous potential of artificial intelligence to transform the study of the arts and humanities, our understanding of the past and breathe new life into ancient artefacts."

The Herculaneum scrolls, which were almost destroyed by Mount Vesuvius, are believed to contain profound philosophical and literary texts by ancient Greek and Roman scholars, the Daily Mail notes.

The problem is that any attempt to unroll the burnt cylinders will turn them into dust because they are so fragile, meaning the words will be lost forever. So scientists have turned to clever methods like X-ray scanning, ink-detection software, and artificial intelligence to essentially "unroll" them.

Following scanning of the PHerc. 172 scroll in July 2024 at the Diamond Light Source in Harwell, Oxfordshire, the data was released publicly.

The Vesuvius Challenge, the organization behind the initiative, invited researchers from around the world to contribute to deciphering the text.

The first images of the interior of scroll PHerc. 172 have been published, revealing fascinating fragments of Greek text.

But the title page was in the very center and was much more difficult to read, requiring careful analysis before it could be accurately interpreted.

This was achieved independently by two participants at around the same time – Sean Johnson from the Vesuvius Challenge and the research group of Marcel Roth and Mischa Nowak from the University of Würzburg, Germany.

The pair were awarded the Vesuvius Challenge First Title Prize in recognition of their work, which was independently analysed and verified by the Vesuvius Challenge papyrology team.

"The simultaneous reproduction of the title page image from several sources, as well as independent scholarly review, ensures a high degree of authenticity in what is read," the Bodleian Library said in a statement.

Philodemus (c. 110-30 BC), author of On Vices, was a philosopher and poet from Gadara, an ancient Hellenistic city in modern-day Jordan, the Daily Mail reports. His ethical teachings emphasised the centrality of the pursuit of pleasure to the good life, while also attacking rigid logic and formal rhetoric. Part of the Epicurean school of thought, Philodemus believed that philosophy should serve practical human happiness rather than abstract intellectual debate. His works make up much of the library at the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, where the famous scrolls were buried, so it is no surprise that he was the author of this work, experts say.

While the author and title of the scroll are now clear, the location of the text from the "On Vices" series, which scholars know contains at least 10 books, remains open to interpretation.

The book number on the title image can be read as the letter "alpha", indicating that this scroll is "Book 1", but it can also be "delta", indicating Book 4.

The other books in the On Vices series are known from the Herculaneum papyri, which were physically unrolled. The best known are On the Management of Property (Book 9) and On Pride (Book 10), but there are others, so there is much more to learn.

Michael Macosker, a papyrologist at University College London, called the latest discovery "a very exciting development". "We have a great opportunity to learn more about Philodemus's ethical views and get a better idea of ​​the Vices as a whole, especially if this turns out to be the first book," he said. "It's great that progress is continuing apace and we'll soon be able to read these lists in their entirety."