Overview
- The charred scroll PHerc. 172, buried in the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE, has been identified as 'On Vices' by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus.
- This marks the first time the title and author of an unopened Herculaneum scroll have been successfully decoded, a milestone for non-invasive text recovery.
- Graduate students Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak, along with researcher Sean Johnson, independently deciphered the scroll's details, winning the Vesuvius Challenge's $60,000 First Title Prize.
- The breakthrough utilized high-resolution X-ray scans and AI-driven virtual unwrapping to detect faint traces of carbon-based ink on the fragile papyrus.
- Ongoing efforts include scanning additional scrolls at advanced synchrotron facilities, with researchers aiming to uncover more lost classical texts from the Villa of the Papyri.