'Thought to be lost forever'

A closer look at 'Thought to be lost forever'

What the article covers about Herculaneum’s scrolls

The page reports that a library buried by Vesuvius at Herculaneum contained more than a thousand carbonised papyrus scrolls discovered in the Villa of the Papyri, and that attempts to physically unroll them destroyed many scrolls because they looked like lumps of charcoal. It describes the historical context of the eruption and notes that some texts identified so far belong to the philosopher Philodemus of Gadara.

How researchers are approaching the problem now

The article explains a four-step technical workflow used to read the scrolls: ultra-high-resolution X-ray tomography (similar in principle to a CT scan) to make 3D models; virtual unwrapping that separates and flattens sections of the crushed, fused layers; ink identification using machine learning to detect microscopic distortions caused by ink; and then human experts reading the revealed letters. It also says this work was driven in part by the Vesuvius Challenge, a cash-prize competition intended to incentivise digital unwrapping methods.

Who might find this interesting or useful

People interested in classical archaeology, ancient literature and manuscript preservation will find the details relevant, as will readers curious about digital restoration techniques. The piece will also suit anyone following efforts to recover original ancient texts rather than later copies, because it focuses on methods that can reveal writing without further damaging fragile artefacts.

Questions people ask about 'Thought to be lost forever'

Does the article say the scrolls have been fully read?

No, the article describes methods and progress but does not state that the entire collection has been fully read.

What role did the Vesuvius Challenge play?

The Vesuvius Challenge is described as a cash-prize competition created to encourage researchers to develop ways to digitally unwrap and read the scrolls.

'Thought to be lost forever' was shared on NexURLs by Nexis on October 31, 2026, in Science.