Context:

Researchers have successfully decoded the title and author of a nearly 2,000-year-old scroll, PHerc. 172, buried during the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. The scroll, carbonized and fragile, was found in Herculaneum and is part of a collection of texts owned by a villa thought to belong to Julius Caesar's father-in-law. Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak, alongside Sean Johnson, identified the scroll as 'On Vices' by Philodemus, a Greek philosopher whose works focus on Epicurean ethics. The discovery was made possible through the Vesuvius Challenge, which encourages virtual unwrapping and decoding of these ancient texts. This marks the first time a scroll's title has been read, offering new insights into Philodemus' ethical treatises and expanding understanding of ancient philosophical writings.

Dive Deeper:

• PHerc. 172 is one of many scrolls buried in the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum during the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. These scrolls were preserved under mud and ash and discovered by an Italian farmer in the 18th century.

• The Vesuvius Challenge, launched in 2023, aims to decode the Herculaneum scrolls without physically unrolling them, using advanced technology and international collaboration among researchers.

• Graduate students Marcel Roth and Micha Nowak from Germany, alongside Sean Johnson from the Vesuvius Challenge, independently identified the scroll as 'On Vices' by Philodemus, with their findings confirmed by a papyrological team.

• Philodemus was an Epicurean philosopher whose works emphasize the pursuit of pleasure as key to a good life, and many of his writings were found in the Herculaneum villa.

• The identification of the scroll's title and author is a significant milestone, as it provides deeper insight into Philodemus' ethical views and the broader scope of his 'On Vices and Their Opposite Virtues' treatise.

• The Bodleian Libraries noted that while the scroll could be the first book in the series, it might also be another number, challenging previous assumptions about the series' order.

• Recent technological advances, such as AI, have facilitated the decoding of ancient texts, including the first full word from these scrolls, enhancing the understanding of ancient languages and philosophies.