Researchers create model scrolls to aid in deciphering ancient Herculaneum scrolls

<p>The <a href="https://scrollprize.org">Vesuvius Challenge</a> is an ongoing project that combines digital unwrapping with crowdsourced machine learning to decipher the Herculaneum scrolls, which are charred 2,000-year-old papyri too fragile to be physically unrolled. Recently, a team of researchers developed contemporary model papyrus scrolls, charring them in a manner similar to the originals, to validate a screening method aimed at identifying which of the Herculaneum scrolls were written in lead-based ink, making them promising candidates for further analysis. This process is detailed in a new paper published in the journal PLoS ONE.</p><p>As previously reported, the ancient Roman resort town of Pompeii was not the only city affected by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Other cities, including Herculaneum, were also impacted by pyroclastic flows. Despite the destruction, remnants of Roman wealth, including hundreds of written scrolls made from papyrus, survived in a palatial residence believed to have belonged to a man named Piso, where they were singed into carbon by volcanic gas.</p><p>The scrolls remained buried under volcanic mud until their excavation in the 1700s from a room thought to contain the personal working library of Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. The few fragments that have been opened have allowed scholars to identify various Greek philosophical texts, including <em>On Nature</em> by Epicurus and several works by Philodemus, along with some Latin texts. However, the more than 600 rolled-up scrolls were considered too fragile to be readable, as even handling them could lead to crumbling.</p>