Full Breakdown
AI and X-ray Imaging Reveal Complete Text of a Herculaneum Scroll
6/26/2026, 3:56:41 AM
Unlocking a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll: AI-Driven Virtual Unwrapping
On 25 June 2026, the Vesuvius Challenge announced that a carbonised papyrus from the Roman villa of Herculaneum—identified as PHerc 1667—had been read in its entirety without physical unrolling. Using phase-contrast X-ray micro-tomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and custom AI models, researchers reconstructed 5 metres of text across 20 columns (other reports cite 1.5 metres across 22 columns). The scroll, dating to 200-300 BC, contains a continuous treatise on Stoic ethics, art and human behaviour.
Historical Context: The Herculaneum Library and Past Attempts
The Villa of the Papyri, uncovered in 1752, housed the only surviving ancient library of its size. Early papyrologists repeatedly tried to physically open the carbonised rolls, stripping outer layers and often destroying ink that is indistinguishable from charred papyrus. Such “impossible scrolls” were long thought unreadable.
Key Researchers and Institutions
- Brent Seales – Professor of Computer Science, University of Kentucky; co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge.
- Federica Nicolardi – Papryologist, University of Naples Federico II; lead for the project’s scanning effort.
- Thomas Coward – Classicist, University of Bristol, UK.
- Nicholas Freer – Scholar, University of Newcastle, UK.
- Nat Friedman – Technology executive and founding sponsor of the Challenge.
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) – Provided the high-resolution scans.
Technical Advances and Data
The workflow combines 2-micrometre resolution CT scans, surface-modeling of deformed papyrus, and machine-learning ink detection. As of June 2026, about 45 scrolls and fragments have been scanned; more than 600 remain unopened. The Vesuvius Challenge has placed all data, code and models in the public domain and offered a US$1 million prize for the first full reading of any other scroll. To date, $1.8 million in prizes have been awarded for related breakthroughs.
Scholarly Significance: Lost Philosophical Texts
The newly recovered passage references the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus, whose works are otherwise lost, and identifies the author as his nephew. Another scroll, PHerc 139, was confirmed as Book 8 of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus’ treatise *On Gods*, extending the known corpus beyond Book 1. Access to original texts, rather than later quotations, allows scholars to reassess Stoic and Epicurean doctrines with unprecedented fidelity.
Official Statements & Responses
Seales emphasized that the achievement “shows that a complete scroll can be read non-invasively” and expressed confidence that “every single one of the scrolls in the collection” will eventually be deciphered. Nicolardi highlighted the dual benefit of preservation and reading, noting that virtual unwrapping eliminates the need to sacrifice artefacts. Coward stressed the importance of primary sources for accurate scholarship, while Freer described the methods as capable of “radically transform[ing] our understanding of ancient worlds.” Friedman added that the project aims to “dramatically improve the algorithms” and advance ink-detection techniques.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the amount of text recovered: one report cites 1.5 metres across 22 columns, another 5 metres across 20 columns, while a third mentions 70 columns of *On Vices, Book 1* and 140 columns uncovered in a 24-hour session. Scroll identifiers also vary (PHerc 1667, PHerc Paris.4, PHerc 139). The precise authorship of the Stoic treatise remains provisional, pending further comparative analysis.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Just a year ago it would have been crazy for any of us to believe that there would be a complete scroll read completely non-invasively with hundreds of columns of text,” — Brent Seales, Professor of Computer Science, University of Kentucky
- “Even with the most successful methods available ... to physically unwrap the scrolls and read them, one had to damage them. But with virtual unwrapping, we are no longer forced to choose between preserving and reading these extraordinary artefacts. We can do both,” — Federica Nicolardi, Papryologist, University of Naples Federico II
- “To have access to a source text rather than quotes and summaries, which can be modified or interpreted by other writers, is very important,” — Thomas Coward, Classicist, University of Bristol
- “Having certainly strained ourselves to the utmost through research and learning, we will no longer be inferior to them in any respect,” — Vesuvius Challenge team
- “We think it is possible to dramatically improve the algorithms that we have ... and we think that the ink detection techniques that we're using could probably be greatly advanced,” — Nat Friedman, Technology executive and founding sponsor
What’s Next
All scan data, software and AI models will remain open-source, inviting global participation. The $1 million prize will spur further attempts to decode the remaining 600+ unopened rolls. Researchers anticipate that scaling the workflow will gradually reveal a substantial portion of the Herculaneum library, potentially reshaping knowledge of ancient philosophy, science and literature.
