A 21-year-old genius uses AI to decipher 2000-year-old unreadable ancient scrolls

Imagine diving into the secrets of the past, where ancient scrolls buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD have long remained unreadable. Now, a 21-year-old computer science student has cracked the code using the power of artificial intelligence.

In the 18th century, over 1,800 papyrus scrolls, known as the ‘Herculaneum papyri,’ were unearthed in Italy. However, due to the devastating eruption, they were believed to be unreadable for centuries.

Luke Farritor's breakthrough

Luke Farritor, a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who developed a groundbreaking algorithm. His AI system can now recognise Greek letters on these ancient scrolls, bringing their words back to life.

The Vesuvius Challenge, a competition dedicated to decoding these scrolls, offered substantial rewards. Luke Farritor was honoured with the ‘first letters’ prize of $40,000 for reading more than 10 characters in a 4-square-centimetre area of papyrus. Youssef Nader, a graduate student at the Free University of Berlin, claimed second place and a $10,000 reward.

According to Nature (London based magazine company), Greek letters were found on several lines of the rolled-up paper thanks to an algorithm used by University of Nebraska at Lincoln student Luke Farritor. His neural network was trained to emphasise the ink using the minor, microscopic variations in surface textures. He decoded words like ‘πoρϕυρας’, which signifies ‘purple,’ using the machine learning technique.

Unlocking the lost knowledge

These scrolls have puzzled scholars for centuries. Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, emphasised the importance of this discovery. Nearly 95 percent of material from the classical period has been lost, making this achievement a significant step in uncovering the mysteries of a crucial era.

In another part of the challenge, Casey Handmer won $10,000 in August for finding ‘substantial, convincing evidence of ink’ within the unopened scrolls. The ink used on the Herculaneum scribes, made from charcoal and water, adds to the complexity of deciphering their contents.

This breakthrough marks a pivotal moment in history, as AI and the dedication of young scholars bring the wisdom of the past back to light.