Ancient Herculaneum Scrolls Revealed: AI Deciphers 2,000-Year-Old Stoic Text Buried by Vesuvius

Researchers have digitally recovered two ancient scrolls buried by Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, revealing what may be a lost work by a Stoic philosopher and expanding the known corpus of Epicurean writings. The breakthrough, announced June 25 that they had digitally unwrapped the surviving portion of one scroll, known as PHerc. 1667, revealing roughly 5 feet (1.5 meters) of continuous Greek text across 20 columns. Researchers also recovered more than 70 columns of text from a second scroll, PHerc. 172—without physically unrolling them. PHerc. 1667, dated to the second or third century B.C., contains roughly 5 feet (1.5 meters) of continuous Greek text across 20 columns, while PHerc. 172 yielded over 70 columns of text. The handwriting and content suggest PHerc. 1667 may be a Stoic treatise on ethics, possibly authored by a follower of Chrysippus, whose own writings are scarce.

"For nearly two millennia, many of these texts have been physically preserved but intellectually inaccessible," Brent Seales, Vesuvius Challenge co-founder and a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, said in a statement. "Today ‪—‬ after years of interdisciplinary work combining advanced imaging, artificial intelligence, academic research and an innovation contest ‪—‬ we are finally able to read them." The team used synchrotron imaging to detect ink traces inside the scrolls, then employed AI to reconstruct the text layer by layer. Earlier attempts to physically open PHerc. 1667 in the 1980s failed due to overlapping layers, leaving it unreadable until now.

The discovery also sheds new light on Philodemus of Gadara, an Epicurean philosopher whose works dominated the Herculaneum library. Researchers identified a reference to Philodemus’ eighth book of On Gods in scroll PHerc. 139, revealing the treatise extended across at least eight volumes—a finding that could reshape understanding of ancient philosophical debates. More than 600 Herculaneum scrolls remain unopened. It’s thought that the villa was once owned by the father-in-law of Julius Caesar.

How Were the Scrolls Deciphered Without Unrolling Them?

The Vesuvius Challenge combined synchrotron imaging—a high-energy X-ray technique—with AI algorithms to map ink traces inside the carbonized scrolls. Unlike traditional methods that risk damaging fragile layers, this approach allows researchers to "virtually unroll" the scrolls digitally. Federica Nicolardi, a papyrologist at the University of Naples Federico II, noted that earlier physical attempts to open PHerc. 1667 were thwarted by overlapping text layers, which obscured readability entirely. The new technique revealed that the scroll’s handwriting and content align with Stoic philosophical themes, possibly linking it to Chrysippus’ school.

Why Does This Discovery Matter for Ancient Philosophy?

The scrolls represent some of the oldest surviving texts from the Herculaneum library, predating Philodemus’ first-century-B.C. writings. If PHerc. 1667 is confirmed as a Stoic work, it could provide rare insights into Chrysippus’ teachings, whose original writings are largely lost. Similarly, the expanded On Gods series by Philodemus offers a deeper look at Epicurean theology and its debates with Stoicism. "These texts have been physically preserved but intellectually inaccessible for centuries," Seales said. "Now, we can finally engage with them as living documents."

What Comes Next for the Herculaneum Scrolls?

With over 600 scrolls still unopened, researchers plan to apply the same techniques to others in the collection. The villa’s ownership by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law suggests the library may contain political or historical works alongside philosophical texts. Future discoveries could further illuminate ancient Roman intellectual life, from ethics to science. The Vesuvius Challenge team is also collaborating with museums to digitize and preserve the scrolls for global access.

How Does This Compare to Other Ancient Text Discoveries?

This breakthrough follows similar efforts to decode carbonized scrolls using AI, such as the recovery of a lost book on Alexander the Great’s successors. The Vesuvius Challenge’s method—combining synchrotron imaging with AI—has achieved higher resolution than earlier attempts. While Plato’s burial site was recently identified using AI, the Herculaneum scrolls offer direct access to ancient philosophical texts, not just archaeological context.