The Conversation: Ancient scrolls are being ‘read’ by machine learning – with human knowledge to detect language and make sense of them
March 13, 2024 —
The following was written by C. Michael Sampson, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Manitoba:
A groundbreaking announcement for the recovery of lost ancient literature was recently made. Using a non-invasive method that harnesses machine learning, an international trio of scholars retrieved 15 columns of ancient Greek text from within a carbonized papyrus from Herculaneum, a seaside Roman town eight kilometres southeast of Naples, Italy.
Their achievement earned them a US$700,000 grand prize from the Vesuvius Challenge. The challenge sought to incentivize technological development by inviting public participation in the research.