First Complete Virtual Unwrapping of Herculaneum Scroll PHerc.1667
Access the open data and code to replicate the unwrapping process.
Download the data from scrollprize.org/data and run the provided scripts.
Summary
Researchers have successfully virtually unwrapped and read the entire Herculaneum scroll PHerc.1667, a 2,000‑year‑old Greek text, without physically opening the fragile carbonized roll.
The team used high‑resolution phase‑contrast X‑ray microtomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, reconstructing the wound papyrus sheet and flattening it into a readable surface.
Machine‑learning models were trained to detect ink that is almost indistinguishable from the carbonized papyrus, enabling the recovery of 22 columns of Greek text.
The scroll contains a Stoic treatise on ethics, with the final column naming Aristocreon, nephew of Chrysippus, dating the work to the 2nd century BC.
All tomographic data, reconstructed surfaces, transcriptions, and code are released under a Creative Commons license at scrollprize.org/data and archived at the ESRF.
The method demonstrates a scalable, open‑science approach that can be applied to the remaining sealed scrolls in the Herculaneum library.
The project was carried out in collaboration with the National Library of Naples and the Vesuvius Challenge community.
The breakthrough provides the first continuous, end‑to‑end reading of a rolled Herculaneum scroll, opening a new window into ancient philosophy and literature.
Key changes
- PHerc.1667 fully unwrapped and read end‑to‑end
- High‑resolution X‑ray microtomography used to reconstruct papyrus sheet
- Machine‑learning models detect ink beneath carbonized surface
- 22 columns of Greek text recovered, including Stoic treatise
- All data and code released under Creative Commons at scrollprize.org/data
- Method scales to other sealed scrolls in the library