DOZENS of ancient scrolls are set to be deciphered using AI, thousands of years after surviving the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The volcano buried a handful of cities in the Gulf of Naples beneath pounds of ash and molten rock when it exploded nearly 2,000 years ago.
Among the cities lost was Herculaneum, down the coast from Pompeii.
A lush villa was excavated in the 18th century, containing mosaics, statues, and other art that had been perfectly preserved.
Its defining feature were around 1,000 papyrus scrolls, which also gave it its name: Villa of the Papyri.
While they remained intact, the scrolls had been carbonized – blackened and fossilized.
Enter the Vesuvius Challenge, a competition that aims to use artificial intelligenceto virtually unroal hundreds of scrolls that …