Artificial Intelligence Assisting Papyrologists in the UK
The Vesuvius rolls, also known as the Herculaneum papyri, are a remarkable collection of Epicurean philosophical treatises discovered in 1752 at the Villa of the Papyri near Herculaneum, a city neighboring Pompeii. These ancient scrolls, carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, have been preserved in a fragile state due to intense heat and lack of oxygen.
The significance of these rolls lies in their content, preservation, and historical context. They provide direct evidence of Epicurean thought, one of the major schools of Hellenistic philosophy, which emphasizes the pursuit of happiness through pleasure, moderation, and absence of pain. These texts deepen understanding of Epicurean doctrines, which influenced later philosophical developments.
The scrolls are unique artifacts from the Roman world, carbonized and preserved by Vesuvius's eruption. This catastrophic event unintentionally safeguarded a rare literary collection, making the Herculaneum papyri one of the few surviving classical libraries from antiquity.
The rolls are currently displayed at the Weston Library in Oxford, with some originally at the Bodleian and the British Library. They represent a priceless cultural and scholarly heritage, illuminating intellectual life in a Roman villa and the transmission of Greek philosophy into the Roman world.
In recent times, advancements in technology have aided in the deciphering of these ancient texts. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used to help decipher ancient Greek texts on papyrus scrolls. While AI does not truly read or translate Greek, it merely shows what it thinks is ink. However, it can sometimes confuse papyrus fiber with ink, a challenge that papyrologists like Michael McOsker, who deals with ancient Greek texts daily, are working to overcome.
Each scroll, including the one housed in the Weston Library, which appears as a black mass, 25 centimeters long and 7 centimeters in diameter, offers unparalleled insight into ancient philosophy and Roman-era intellectual culture. The rolls are invaluable both for philosophy—preserving original Epicurean texts previously lost—and for classical archaeology, demonstrating the intersection of natural disaster and the preservation of knowledge.
In sum, the Vesuvius rolls are significant because they preserve rare Epicurean philosophical manuscripts carbonized during the Vesuvius eruption, offering unparalleled insight into ancient philosophy and Roman-era intellectual culture, and are an irreplaceable part of the world's classical heritage now housed in Oxford.
[1] Weston Library, Oxford. (n.d.). The Herculaneum papyri. Retrieved from https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/herculaneumpapyri/
- The advances in technology, particularlyArtificial Intelligence (AI), have been instrumental in the deciphering of the ancient Epicurean texts found in the Herculaneum papyri, providing new insights into Roman-era intellectual culture and ancient science.
- As science and technology continue to evolve, the application of AI in deciphering the Herculaneum papyrinot only deepens our understanding of ancient philosophy but also highlights the interplay between technology, artificial intelligence, and the study of history, specifically the art of ancient science.
