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AI helps read papyrus scroll burnt to crisp during Vesuvius eruption
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AI helps read papyrus scroll burnt to crisp during Vesuvius eruption

The Guardian · Jun 24, 2026, 3:48 PM

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Previously hidden text revealed without unrolling scroll discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour. The surviving part of an ancient scroll that was burnt to a crisp when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago has been virtually unwrapped and read with help from artificial intelligence.Researchers uncovered 20 columns of previously hidden text covering more than a metre of charred papyrus without physically unrolling the scroll. The work discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour and dates to the second or late-third century BC. Continue reading...

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