Among the now innumerable practical applications ofArtificial intelligence archeology also figures.
This was demonstrated by the use of this technology to decipher a series of mysterious Roman texts. We’re talking about Herculaneum scrollsdocuments from about two thousand years ago charred during the famous eruption of Vesuvius.
The results of the study were released in conjunction with the Vesuvius Challengea competition launched in March 2023 with the aim of performing scans of computed tomography (CT) of the historical find. Machine learning-based software from tech-savvy investigators from around the world was used in the trial. All this to read the contents of the scrolls without affecting their very fragile structure.
Three students deciphered the text of the Herculaneum scrolls, namely Youssef Nader, Luke Farritor e Julian Schilliger. They received the substantial prize ($700,000) up for grabs for anyone able to achieve this result.
AI and Herculaneum scrolls: just the first step towards using this technology in archeology
So, what are the contents of the scrolls? Apparently it is a fairly long text, written by the philosopher Epicurean. Apparently, it is a document whose main theme is food and how its scarcity or abundance can influence societies.
Beyond the appreciable work of the three students, it is obvious how AI played a fundamental role in revealing the content of the papyri. According to some estimates, the technological tools used have played a role 10 years of work “human” in just three monthsdemonstrating how archeology and AI can actually be a winning combination.
In fact, having deciphered the Herculaneum scrolls may have opened up a new line of research. All this always taking into account that, as stated by the researcher Michael McOskerwe currently only know less about the1% of ancient literature and how, in this sense, AI could provide enormous help in rediscovering our past.