AI Technology Digitally Unwraps Ancient Burnt Scroll, Revealing Hidden Ancient Text
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A team of AI engineers won a competition to digitally unwrap an ancient burnt scroll from Herculaneum using AI, revealing hidden ancient Greek text.
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The technology enables archaeologists to potentially read many fragile, damaged or sealed ancient texts without unrolling them manually.
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The scrolls were perfectly preserved by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD, but hundreds have been ruined trying to unroll them.
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The team aims to digitally unwrap all surviving Herculaneum scrolls, which could reveal new information about famous ancient figures.
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The technology has wide applications for reading fragile ancient texts and artifacts, like the Dead Sea Scrolls, Egyptian mummy wrappings, medieval burned books, and ancient shipwreck cargo.