An entire Herculaneum scroll has been read for the first time(scrollprize.org)
1371 points by verditelabs 20 hours ago | 288 comments
tl;dr: Researchers have virtually unwrapped and read PHerc. 1667 in full — the first Herculaneum scroll read end-to-end without physical unrolling — using high-resolution phase-contrast X-ray microtomography at the ESRF combined with machine learning to detect faint ink traces. The recovered text appears to be a 2nd-century BC Stoic philosophical treatise on ethics, naming Aristocreon (disciple of Chrysippus). Two other scrolls yielded results too: independent confirmation of the 2023 Grand Prize reading via direct 3D ink detection, and identification of PHerc. 139 as Philodemus' On Gods, Book 8. All data and code are openly released.
HN Discussion:
  • Awe at the temporal connection between ancient author and future readers using advanced technology
  • Team members offering insider details and additional achievements beyond the article
  • Optimism that this exemplifies meaningful, non-commercial uses of AI and technology
  • Excitement about future potential for discovering and reading more scrolls and ancient texts
  • Practical tangent on how to preserve modern writing for similar longevity