AI Reveals Lost Ancient Writings in Famed Buried Roman Villa
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Peasants digging wells in 1750s Italy unearthed ancient papyrus scrolls fused into carbonized lumps, later identified as writings from a Roman library buried by the AD79 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
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The building housing the library is now called Villa dei Papiri; the scrolls inside are primarily Epicurean philosophical works, with the largest number authored by Philodemus.
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Since the 1750s, scholars have worked to carefully unroll the scrolls, though opening them risks damage. Many unopened scrolls remained.
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Recently, AI scanning has allowed researchers to virtually unroll some scrolls without physical handling, revealing previously unseen writings like a text by Philodemus.
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More discoveries within the unopened scrolls are likely, expanding knowledge of Epicurean ideas; though lost ancient Greek writings are less probable, new Latin literature may emerge.