The burnt parchments unearthed from the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum, which was reduced to ashes by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, posed a great mystery to the scientific world. These extremely delicate papyrus sheets, which could not be physically opened, had been preserved untouched for years. However, thanks to developing technology, scientists were able to read these texts.
X-ray and AI-Assisted Reading
To reveal the contents of the scrolls, scientists used high-powered X-ray scanning at the Diamond Light Source facility in England. These scans allowed the parchment to be analysed without damaging it. However, identifying traces of ink in the text was difficult because both the papyrus and the ink are carbon-based.
To overcome this problem, artificial intelligence-supported analysis was used. Scientists developed special algorithms and managed to distinguish the text from the data obtained in X-ray scans. As a result, Greek letters were detected on the parchment and it was understood that the text most likely had a philosophical content.
Vesuvius Challenge and Scientific Breakthrough
This important research was carried out by a team called "Vesuvius Challenge". Stephen Parsons, one of the leaders of the study, emphasized the success of the process by saying, "We are now quite confident that we can read the entire scroll."
The hundreds of burnt parchments discovered in Herculaneum had fallen apart when they were tried to be opened in the past. For this reason, some of the parchments have been preserved for years in the Bodleian Library, affiliated with Oxford University. It is predicted that these parchments can also be read without damage thanks to newly developed X-ray and artificial intelligence methods.
More Text Readable in the Future
Scientists aim to use similar techniques on other parchments from Herculaneum to uncover more text. Experts say the method could also be used to decipher other ancient manuscripts in the coming years.
This discovery, which sheds light on the treasure trove of knowledge of the ancient world, is considered a major turning point in the field of history and archaeology. The combination of artificial intelligence and X-ray technologies seems set to continue to unravel important mysteries about human history.
