#papyrus scrolls

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Scholars of antiquity believe they are on the brink of a new era of understanding after researchers armed with artificial intelligence read the hidden text of a charred scroll that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago.

Hundreds of papyrus scrolls held in the library of a luxury Roman villa in Herculaneum were burned to a crisp when the town was devastated by the intense blast of heat, ash and pumice that destroyed nearby Pompeii in AD79.

Excavations in the 18th century recovered more than 1,000 whole or partial scrolls from the mansion, thought to be owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law.

However, the black ink was unreadable on the carbonised papyri and the scrolls crumbled to pieces when researchers tried to open them.

The breakthrough in reading the ancient material came from the $1m Vesuvius Challenge, a contest launched in 2023 by Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, and Silicon Valley backers.

The competition offered prizes for extracting text from high-resolution CT scans of a scroll taken at Diamond, the UK’s national synchrotron facility in Oxfordshire.

On Monday, Nat Friedman, a US tech executive and founding sponsor of the challenge, announced that a team of three computer-savvy students, Youssef Nader in Germany, Luke Farritor in the US, and Julian Schilliger in Switzerland, had won the $700,000 (£554,000) grand prize after reading more than 2,000 Greek letters from the scroll.

Papyrologists who have studied the text recovered from the blackened scroll were stunned at the feat.

“This is a complete gamechanger,” said Robert Fowler, emeritus professor of Greek at Bristol University and chair of the Herculaneum Society.

“There are hundreds of these scrolls waiting to be read.”

Dr Federica Nicolardi, a papyrologist at the University of Naples Federico II, added:

“This is the start of a revolution in Herculaneum papyrology and in Greek philosophy in general. It is the only library to come to us from ancient Roman times.”

“We are moving into a new era,” said Seales, who led efforts to read the scrolls by virtually unwrapping the CT images and training AI algorithms to detect the presence of ink.

He now wants to build a portable CT scanner to image scrolls without moving them from their collections.

In October, Farritor won the challenge’s $40,000 “first letters” prize when he identified the ancient Greek word for “purple” in the scroll.

He teamed up with Nader in November, with Schilliger, who developed an algorithm to automatically unwrap CT images, joining them days before the contest deadline on 31 December.

Together, they read more than 2,000 letters of the scroll, giving scholars their first real insight into its contents.

“It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey,” said Youssef.

“The adrenaline rush is what kept us going. It was insane. It meant working 20-something hours a day. I didn’t know when one day ended and the next day started.”

“It probably is Philodemus,” Fowler said of the author.

“The style is very gnarly, typical of him, and the subject is up his alley.”

The scroll discusses sources of pleasure, touching on music and food – capers in particular – and whether the pleasure experienced from a combination of elements owes to the major or minor constituents, the abundant or the scare.

“In the case of food, we do not right away believe things that are scarce to be absolutely more pleasant than those which are abundant,” the author writes.

“I think he’s asking the question: what is the source of pleasure in a mix of things? Is it the dominant element, is it the scarce element, or is it the mix itself?” said Fowler.

The author ends with a parting shot against his philosophical adversaries for having “nothing to say about pleasure, either in general or particular."

Seales and his research team spent years developing algorithms to digitally unwrap the scrolls and detect the presence of ink from the changes it produced in the papyrus fibres.

He released the algorithms for contestants to build on in the challenge.

Friedman’s involvement proved valuable not only for attracting financial donors.

When Seales was meant to fly to the UK to have a scroll scanned, a storm blew in cancelling all commercial flights.

Worried they might lose their slot at the Diamond light source, Friedman hastily organised a private jet for the trip.

Beyond the hundreds of Herculaneum scrolls waiting to be read, many more may be buried at the villa, adding weight to arguments for fresh excavations.

"The same technology could be applied to papyrus wrapped around Egyptian mummies," Fowler said.

These could include everything from letters and property deeds to laundry lists and tax receipts, shining light on the lives of ordinary ancient Egyptians.

“There are crates of this stuff in the back rooms of museums,” Fowler said.

The challenge continues this year with the goal to read 85% of the scroll and lay the foundations for reading all of those already excavated.

Scientists need to fully automate the process of tracing the surface of the papyrus inside each scroll and improve ink detection on the most damaged parts.

“When we launched this less than a year ago, I honestly wasn’t sure it’d work,” said Friedman.

“You know, people say money can’t buy happiness, but they have no imagination. This has been pure joy. It’s magical what happened, it couldn’t have been scripted better."

Source: The Guardian

How the Herculaneum Papyri were carbonised in the Mount Vesuvius eruption – Video

5 February 2024

#Herculaneum Papyri #Mount Vesuvius #volcanic eruption #antiquity #artificial intelligence #papyrus scrolls #Pompeii #AD79 #Herculaneum #Youtube #carbonised papyri #$1m Vesuvius Challenge #Brent Seales #Diamond #papyrologist #Herculaneum papyrology #Ancient Rome #CT images #ai algorithms

[covenawhite66]

Ancient works of literature have been lost due to being recorded on fragile paper. Even when we have the remains of scrolls they can be too damaged to read. Now, with new technology including AI, CT scanning, inferred light, to not only see the writing on fragile ancient paper but AI can predict where missing letters of words are.

Archeologists look at writing from Herculaneum buried underground by volcanic ash and the paper fragile to unrole the papyrus scroll.

#history #archeology #historians #herculaneum #papyrus scrolls #ancient writing #ai #rediscovery

[silenust3]

‘Researchers this week claimed to have found the final resting place of the Greek philosopher, a patch in the garden of his Athens Academy, after scanning an ancient papyrus scroll recovered from the library of a Herculaneum villa that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79.

The project belongs to a new wave of efforts that seek to read, restore and translate ancient and even lost languages with cutting-edge technologies. Armed with modern tools, many powered by artificial intelligence, scholars are starting to read what had long been considered unreadable.

“It’s going to have a huge impact,” said Dr Kilian Fleischer, a papyrologist who worked on The History of the Academy, the scroll that revealed details of Plato’s life. “There will be scrolls that will be read with these new techniques that contribute to our knowledge of antiquity, and to our knowledge of literature in general. This might be a second renaissance.”’

(030524)

#Plato #the guardian #ancient scrolls #Plato’s Academy #papyrus scrolls #the history of the academy #Greek achaology

[mossandfog]

Ancient Burned Scrolls from Roman Times Being Deciphered and Read Using AI

These charred, ancient logs of ancient papyrus may hide some of the of most important writing of human history. Burned and carbonized in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the scrolls were found under meters of ash and dirt, in what would have been a library inside an enormous villa. Over 500 scrolls were found, all of which were in charred, unreadable form. The ancient, charred scrolls…

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#Charred scrolls #papyrus #papyrus scrolls #Vesuvius Challenge

[sysig]

Recently had a silly Handplates dream where Papyrus was trying to snoop around Gaster and Alphys’ lab, but didn’t know who Alphys was and so was trying to pass it off as his own lab lol (Patreon)

#Doodles #Dream log #UT #Handplates #Papyrus #Gaster #Sans #Alphys #And also he was Big Brother Papyrus to a babybones Sans lol #I doodled them as close to the dream as possible so if it's silly or doesn't make sense take it up with my subconscious lol #I remember Gaster had a reputation for being very charming and charismatic which ?? Sure okay lol #He was also quite smiley - personally I read that as him putting on a face to the public but even that seems out of character for him lol #Everyone else was pretty much as usual - Alphys small and nervous and Papyrus loud and bombastic #I don't remember what exactly he was looking for - doubly weird 'cause I hadn't reread him and Sans exploring yet! :0 #Just of them moving into their house - though I did read a bunch just before sleeping so safe to say I can attribute that lol #This was the only really clear part of the dream - the rest was just scrolling scrolling scrolling pages and pages of comic panels #Can't imagine why lol #Also intercut with some of the poses I ended up doodling before - surprise! They were dream doodles lol #Also in case it's not clear - Alphys was Very Much Present while Papyrus was trying to pass himself off as the name on the door lol #Oh yeah I'm pretty sure he was also speaking in WingDings thus why Alphys didn't immediately call him out lol #The room was quite cute actually - not at all the sterile grey of the True Lab #Warm and wooden with high windows nearly covered in clutter and paperwork with a desk in the middle lit by yellow light #Cozy #Barely evil-looking at all

[marcobodtlives]

My Roman Empire this, my Roman Empire that,

Well they’re my Burning of the Library of Alexandria

#shoutout to all my history nerds #imagine losing that much in one instant #the loss of ​over half a million scrolls books and writings on priceless history inventions and discoveries equates to losing a soulmate #imo #oh the places we’d be with the priceless things and people we’ve lost #arson is bad folks don’t do it #also murder is bad folks don’t do it #Marco is as soft and fragile as a papyrus and Jean burns as bright as a flame #metaphors #that make me SOB #yet another tiktok trend that leaves me in tears #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #jean kirschstein #marco bodt #or if you wanna be funky: #jean kirstein #marco bott #jeanmarco #aot #jean x marco #marco x jean

[solradguy]

Baiken? Do you know where this is from?

Oh this is very interesting!! The caption at the bottom reads, "Baiken, who was initially a man." I think the writing above him says 「おきな」(old man/gentleman) and 「とうしろ」(novice/layman) but it's really blurry... I wasn't able to find the top kanji on the left but they're almost definitely his name, since the bottom two (梅��) read as Baiken. Actual Baiken's name uses different kanji though (梅喧). The top kanji must be what his familial name would have been. 渡 or 沒 maybe?

I asked the lore server if anyone knew where this is from and no one in it had ever seen it before either. Best guess currently is one of the GG art exhibitions (or a booklet from one). The large file resolution suggests it's recent and not from an old forum or GG fansite, but the art itself is old; it matches the aesthetics of the early GG concept art, though a little more polished.

Renexuz is gonna see about contacting the person who uploaded photos from a Xrd-era art exhibition and see if they know. Volcanic Fighter's never seen it before either. I'll reblog this when/if I get more information on it.

Where did you find this image??? I ran it through 3 different reverse image searches and not one thing about it came up haha

#asks #guilty gear #I hope you understand that dropping this in my inbox is like the Guilty Gear equivalent of someone showing up at a- #-history museum with an undocumented yet genuine 4000 year old Egyptian papyrus scroll hahaha #I spent all morning tearing through archives for the source for this thing

[derelictdumbass]

* a cool human and cool skeleton walk into a study lounge

#i was worried i forgor how to draw my boy but then it all came back 2 me #self ship #self insert #Undertale Tag #Papyrus #nadine doodles #ship: Papyine #AYE ITS BEEN SO LONG. WE'RE BACK BABEY #it all comes full circle ajsjdjabdjdh #scrolling through old papyine content.... so much redrawable things in there..............

[dark-falz]

I've been crafting for renn faire and i thought u guys might appreciate this but also do u guys think I'm doing too much

..."No"s only

#id pay good money for a scroll this thick of papyrus but that doesnt exist so ill have to make it entierly myself one day 😤 #maybe if i get to retire 😑 #anyway ive been crafting guys i used my sEWING MACHINE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 7 YEARS???? #i only costume for renn faire now i guess #remember when i use to cosplay yeah i dont have that level of energy anymore #or patience with that fuckass sewing machine #ok cya maybe ill play pso2 soon but i also miss pso1 lmao

[thesnowflake18]

TOBIAS FOX COME HERE RIGHT NOW HOW DARE YOU HAVE THEM AVOID THE QUESTION!! AAAAAA I'M LOSING MY MIND !

#snowspeaks #undertale #papyrus #papyrus undertale #sans #sans undertale #ut newsletter #undertale newsletter #GREEN GRASS???!!! GREEN FUCKIBG GRASS EXCUSE MEEEEE!!!!!!!!! #THIS IS WHY I CAN NEVER STOP BRWINROTTING ABOUT THE DAMN SKELETONS WTFFFF #NAW THEY DEFINITELT CAME FROM DR LIKE CMON PLZ #SANS U BASTARD WHY'D U END THE QUESTION AAAAAA #i was scrolling slowly btw and when paps passed it to him I actually got a little scared #like 'oh shit are we having another 1-to-1 with him??' #nO HE ENDS IT ARE U KIDDING MEEEE #TOBYYYYYYGGSGDJWKDBS #I need to calm down.

[heaven-said]

@themosthatedbeing

{Texts Gabe: Hey , Hey Gabe you need to see the Fank-tok I sent you , also tell Michale he sucks plz and thx! -Luci~ }

✞ His phone is pulled from its light dimension. An infernal object he does not use often, he'd frankly prefer being contacted via carrier dove at this point. If he is being texted right this second it's almost always... Alright, he won't leave them on read this time. He is going to respond.

[Text] Lucifer, I shall tell brother no such thing. [Text] Also, I do not see the urgency in the videos thy send to me? [Text] They are very short and seemingly random.

#{{ dhfkdskghs if he could his texts would be in papyrus scroll font tbh }} #✟ → { inbox. } ⋰⋰ #✟ [ 1. ] → { 𝕲𝖆𝖇𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖑. } ⋰⋰ i.c. #themosthatedbeing #✟ [ 1. ] → { 𝕲𝖆𝖇𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖑. } ⋰⋰ hazbin / helluva.

[miitopiaoutofcontext]

#miitopia #mii #miis #nintendo switch #miiblr #dominic the dragon #it mii #serana volkihar #skyrim serana #serana #skyrim dawnguard #skyrim #the elder scrolls #mcu loki #marvel loki #loki #undertale papyrus #undertale #papyrus

[frogshunnedshadows]

How to train algorithms to read illegible, carbonized, ancient scrolls.

#archaeology #herculaneum #scrolls #vesuvius challenge #smithsonian magazine #technology #paleography #computer science #papyrus

[thoughtportal]

the worst destruction is neglect

#tiktok #library #the library of alexandria #libraries #conservation #historic preservation #books #scrolls #history #archives #papyrus

[cookinguptales]

it is also so funny how I'm just like "oh, I need to get this minute detail about art history right" but then I read other things like "oh, my protagonist probably shouldn't have any body hair? that's okay. this is a fantasy story. :)"

*quietly ignoring the history of papyrus so I can put books, of a sort, in this story that should by all rights be taking place in the minoan period*

#clay tablets and papyrus scrolls can coexist in this story #the linear a and linear b are on papyrus now #why is it called 'linear'? :) don't worry about it :) :) #it's fine it's fine this is about a sad bull-man who needs hugs anyway #just tell yourself it's an AU where egypt had contact with crete very early :) #writing liveblogging

[beeapocalypse]

okay okay so god of fear and hunger phases

phase1= the last moments existing solely As the girl

phase2= formed to mimic the Concept of a god (all the different statues u can find throughout the dungeons. especially in ma'habre), no real element which reflects her sphere of influence yet

phase3= casting away that idea (u can straight up see the statue-skin slopping off on her left foot !) of some sort of grace in favor of what the girl thinks is fear and hunger BUT it is more through the lens of a person which experiences them (the expression + the torn belly) than a god of it

phase4= starting to move away from her own experiences and her own miseries. the start of a Complete Transformation (loss of the human silhouette and the expression of joy- though shes still a bit there in the hair and the human face)

phase5= the ascendance completed. the only bit still recognizable as human is the shed skin left from phase4. no longer a thing which experiences fear+hunger, she is a thing which EMBODIES and INFLICTS it

#an incredible stretch but the strips of yellow stuff both phase4 and 5 have bring to mind papyrus scrolls a bit. especially the aged ones-- #--that are beginning to fray and show their fibers #also almost entirely unrelated. funger wiki says the ratkins amulet bears some resemblance to phase4 which i do not Really see but is a fun #--idea nonetheless