This is fascinating. A library was buried in Herculaneum when Vesuvius erupted, and there were 800 or more scrolls buried in ash that crumble when you try to unwrap them.
A mix of advanced CT scans, machine learning and incredible research activity is digitally unwrapping them and finding what’s inside.
They’ve got a first sample of text from the first scroll, and it’s a previously unknown text, looks like Epicurean philosophy.
Vesuvius Challenge 2023 Grand Prize awarded: we can read the first scroll!
I also love the reflection on how they structured the competition to maximise progress and collaboration rather than information hoarding.