X-Ray Imaging and AI Recover First Complete Text from Sealed Ancient Scroll

Title image: A section of PHerc. 1667, virtually unwrapped. The complete scroll comprises roughly 1.4 m of papyrus and around 22 columns of Greek. Credit: ©Vesuvius Challenge 2026

Researchers have digitally “unwrapped” and read an unopened Herculaneum scroll for the first time, using AI, high-resolution X-ray imaging, and advanced computational techniques to recover text hidden for nearly 2000 years inside carbonized papyrus buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Announced 25 June by the Vesuvius Challenge and researchers at the University of Kentucky (UK), the achievement marks the first complete end-to-end virtual unwrapping and scholarly reading of a sealed Herculaneum scroll without physically opening it—a milestone that could transform the study of the only surviving library from classical antiquity.

The breakthrough centers on PHerc. 1667, one of hundreds of papyrus scrolls recovered from the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, which was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Because the scrolls were carbonized by intense heat, attempts to physically open them have historically caused extensive damage, leaving much of the collection inaccessible to scholars. More than 600 unopened scrolls remain.

Using high-resolution phase-contrast X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) collected at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, researchers combined improved virtual unwrapping algorithms with machine learning to reconstruct and read approximately 1.5 m of continuous Greek text from the sealed scroll. The team also recovered more than 70 columns of text from another scroll held at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library and identified PHerc. 139 as On Gods, Book 8 by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, revealing that the work extends beyond previously known volumes.

The work builds on more than two decades of research led by Brent Seales, a professor of computer science at UK and cofounder of the Vesuvius Challenge. Earlier efforts demonstrated that X-ray imaging could reveal subtle differences associated with carbon-based ink, paving the way for AI systems capable of identifying and reconstructing text hidden within tightly rolled papyrus.

“For nearly two millennia, many of these texts have been physically preserved but intellectually inaccessible,” Seales said.

The latest advance goes beyond previous demonstrations by achieving complete virtual unwrapping under defined scholarly review criteria. Researchers also reported that an optimized imaging protocol made carbon ink directly visible within the 3D tomographic data, allowing independent validation of the recovered text rather than relying solely on reconstructed surface images. They say the approach establishes a scalable framework for recovering the remaining unopened scrolls.

Launched in 2023, the Vesuvius Challenge has brought together computer scientists, papyrologists, imaging specialists, and historians from around the world to accelerate the recovery of the ancient library through open data and prize competitions. The initiative has awarded more than $1.8 million in prizes and continues to offer a $1 million prize for the first team to fully decipher another unopened Herculaneum scroll.

Researchers say the achievement marks a turning point in digital archaeology and cultural heritage preservation. Beyond revealing previously inaccessible philosophical works, the combination of synchrotron X-ray imaging, CT, computer vision, and AI offers a powerful nondestructive approach for studying fragile artifacts that cannot be physically opened or examined by conventional means.

Read more about the research behind the reveal at https://scrollprize.org/pdf/main.pdf.