How AI is decoding ancient scrolls | Julian Schilliger and Youssef Nader

TED Talks Daily

2025/01/24

Overview Shownote Highlights Transcript Chapters Pins

Shownote

AI researcher Youssef Nader and digital archaeologist Julian Schilliger share how they used AI to virtually "unroll" and decode the Herculaneum scrolls, burnt and buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. Learn how AI could help deci...

Highlights

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating intersection of artificial intelligence and archaeology, exploring how cutting-edge technology is unlocking secrets from the ancient world. The focus is on the Herculaneum scrolls, a collection of texts preserved—yet rendered unreadable—by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly two millennia ago.

00:00

AI and computer vision unlock ancient knowledge from Vesuvius scrolls

02:47

AI and computer vision enable the virtual unrolling of ancient scrolls, preserving fragile artifacts and revealing lost texts.

10:52

AI successfully decoded four paragraphs of ancient text with 85% clarity.

Chapters

How AI and Computer Vision Are Unlocking Ancient Secrets

00:00

The Vesuvius Challenge: Decoding Philodemus' Lost Writings

02:47

From Fragments to Text: AI's Role in Recovering Ancient Knowledge

10:52

Transcript

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