Deciphering Ancient Scrolls with the Power of AI: Unleashing the Scrolls of Wisdom
Artificial Intelligence Decodes Inscriptions on Ancient Fossilized Scrolls – Here's What They Reveal
AI decoded text on ancient fossilized scrolls. Here’s what it said.
In a stunning feat of technological prowess, the Herculaneum Papyri, a fossilized ancient scroll preserved by the fury of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, has finally divulged its secrets. Thanks to an open-source AI project, the inscrutable text hidden within these age-old fragments has been unraveled, sparking excitement among historians, linguists, and technology enthusiasts alike.
Computer science prodigy Luke Farritor achieved a monumental breakthrough this August, becoming the first person in over two millennia to decipher an entire word from within an unopened scroll. This incredible milestone was accomplished through Farritor’s participation in the renowned Vesuvius Challenge, a cash prize competition that sought to reveal the enigmatic message contained within the Herculaneum Papyri.
But how did this unprecedented feat become possible? The answer lies in the fusion of ancient history and cutting-edge technology. Open-source collaboration and an ingenious application of machine learning techniques paved the way for these groundbreaking discoveries. Existing machine learning techniques were not groundbreaking on their own, but it was the injection of the “open-source mindset into an academic project” that unleashed the potential for rapid achievements, as affirmed by JP Prosma, a spokesperson for the Vesuvius Challenge.
The challenge was conceived with the aim of expediting the research and unraveling of the ancient scrolls. In 2015, Dr. Brent Seales and his team from the University of Kentucky had employed computer vision to virtually “open” the scrolls. The volcanic ash from the Vesuvius eruption had transformed the scrolls into fragile remnants, impossible to unroll without causing irreparable damage. However, in 2019, three-dimensional CT scans generated a complete virtual image of the scrolls. This breakthrough inspired entrepreneurs Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross to fund the competition, igniting a collective effort to open-source the research and reveal the hidden treasures within.
Enter Farritor, who built upon the ink “crackle patterns” previously discovered by fellow contestant Casey Handmer. Leveraging machine learning, Farritor’s model assimilated these patterns, enhancing its ability to recognize and decipher the text. Eventually, the model unraveled a formation of letters constituting the word “porphyras,” an ancient term meaning “purple.” Farritor’s remarkable discovery earned him a well-deserved prize of $40,000. Not to be outdone, biorobotics student Youssef Nader also utilized an unsupervised pre-training model on the data, finely tuned with the “fragment labels.” Nader too emerged victorious, unearthing possible clusters of letters indicating the words “achieving” and “similar,” and was awarded $10,000 for his breakthrough.
The scrolls are believed to contain texts from Philodemus, an Epicurean philosopher, potentially doubling the corpus of ancient literature. With an essential piece of the puzzle now deciphered, attention turns to the remaining passages awaiting revelation. The grand prize of $700,000 awaits the daring individual who can read “four passages of text” from the scrolls. For those who seek to embark on this intellectual adventure, further information about the Vesuvius Challenge can be found on their website and Kaggle. Additionally, engage in lively conversations surrounding the challenge on Discord.
Unleashing the scrolls of wisdom that have remained hidden for centuries is a testament to the power of collaborative open-source initiatives and the remarkable capabilities of AI. As technology bridges the gap between past and present, we find ourselves propelled towards the restoration of ancient knowledge. The journey to deciphering the scrolls continues, combining the genius of minds ancient and modern, unveiling the boundless treasures of human history, one word at a time.
Are you intrigued by the enigmatic Herculaneum Papyri? Join the discourse and share your thoughts on the Vesuvius Challenge. Let us unravel this ancient enigma together!
