Ancient Scroll Read Without Opening It, Thanks to AI and 3D Scanning

Researchers have read an entire carbonized scroll from Herculaneum—buried by Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago—without physically opening it. 3D scanning created a digital map of the scroll's structure, and AI software detected faint ink marks too faint for human eyes to see. The breakthrough unlocked the first complete scroll in the Vesuvius Challenge competition. Hundreds of unread scrolls remain in the library, the only ancient collection to survive intact.