How Technology Unlocks Historical Texts

Unlocking the Secrets of the Past with AI: How Neural Networks Are Revolutionizing Ancient Texts Artificial intelligence is transforming the study of ancient history and linguistics, deciphering unreadable texts, uncovering lost languages, and piecing together fragments of the past. Neural networks analyze digital photos of ancient texts, filling in missing characters and assembling broken fragments, unlocking texts once deemed indecipherable. 🔍 Tools like convolutional and recurrent neural networks enable researchers to explore connections across archives, while transformer models, used in projects like Pythia and Ithaca, decipher ancient Greek inscriptions, suggesting missing words, dating texts, and identifying origins. 🏛️ The Vesuvius Challenge has revealed text from carbonized scrolls buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, potentially uncovering lost works of ancient philosophers. AI detects subtle differences in ink texture, allowing researchers to reveal previously hidden columns of text. 🌏 AI tackles massive archives like Korea's royal records, translating Hanja script into modern languages and making these invaluable resources accessible worldwide. For languages like Linear B, transfer learning helps restore missing text, offering insights into even older scripts. 🔮 As more texts are digitized, AI promises breakthroughs that reshape our understanding of ancient civilizations, enabling us to ask larger questions about political trends, cultural connections, and language evolution. #AncientTexts #ArtificialIntelligence #NeuralNetworks #Deciphering #Herculaneum #VesuviusChallenge #Papyrology #HistoryRewritten #LanguageEvolution #Archaeology

ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕟𝕖...𝕆𝕣 𝕚𝕤 𝕀𝕥? 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 — 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. The ancient city of Herculaneum was frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Its blackened scrolls, carbonized beyond legibility, became relics of silence. Until now. Using 3D scans and AI models trained on Greek handwriting, researchers recently deciphered words from one such scroll, revealing philosophical texts believed lost forever. Not by peeling the brittle papyrus, but by detecting subtle ink traces invisible to the human eye. It’s not an isolated case. Projects like Fragmentarium are applying computer vision to thousands of Sumerian tablets, many of which are broken or partial. Neural networks are learning to complete them, not just translating symbols, but suggesting meanings in context. This isn't just about better OCR. It’s about reconstructing memory. In a way, history is being rewritten not by scholars, but by probability, trained on style, stroke, and sequence. The implications are vast: forgotten philosophers might re-enter debates, lost languages may be partially restored, and existing historical narratives could shift under new textual evidence. We're entering an era where preservation is no longer about storage—it's about inference. Silence isn't the end of a story but a temporary pause until machines learn to read the noise. Read the full Nature article: https://lnkd.in/exBZiiC5 Would you trust an algorithm to reconstruct truth from ash? I would over humans!

AI Deciphers Ancient Scrolls, Unveils Hidden Texts... Now, the juicy part: The Breakthrough... AI technology has successfully interpreted texts from scrolls buried by Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. This innovation has unlocked secrets from the ancient world, previously lost to history. The Challenge... The Herculaneum papyri, a collection of about 800 Greek scrolls, were nearly indecipherable due to damage from the eruption in 79 CE. The scrolls' fragile state presented a significant obstacle for researchers. The Solution... Using AI, the team differentiated ink from the carbonized papyrus, revealing faint Greek text. Their technique has opened a window into ancient philosophical and literary works, previously thought to be beyond recovery. The Impact... This groundbreaking work has decrypted around five percent of one scroll, offering unprecedented insights into ancient knowledge. It's a monumental step forward in the intersection of technology and archaeology.

AI is now being used to read and reconstruct ancient texts—think manuscripts that have been damaged, faded, or even erased over time. By identifying patterns and predicting missing pieces, AI is helping us uncover stories and knowledge that might have been lost forever. This is a perfect reminder of AI's potential when paired with human expertise. Historians, linguists, and archaeologists are critical partners in ensuring these reconstructions are accurate and meaningful. It’s exciting to see how cutting-edge technology can work alongside traditional disciplines to create something truly impactful. Beyond the cool factor of this tech, there’s something deeper here: AI is helping us preserve and reconnect with pieces of human history. This isn’t just about what we can achieve with AI; it’s about how we use it to add value in areas we didn’t think possible. https://lnkd.in/gs2af94a

🤖📜🌋 #AI and #machinelearning contest to read ancient scrolls? There are so many reasons to be excited by the #VesuviusChallenge grand prize being awarded! What could be more human than using technology to extricate lost writing from history? The scrolls were located in a villa reportedly belonging to Julius Caesar's father-in-law. What if there are governor's reports about a troublemaker named Jesus? What if there's a lost dialogue from Aristotle? Indeed the winners managed to decipher what looks to be an Epicurean philosophical text! Found in the 18th century, the scrolls' contents have been a mystery because touching the scrolls damages them. Scientists have used advanced medical imaging to scan and "unroll" the scrolls, but it took training ML to decipher the writing. Critical: Contestants must open-source their methodologies, and I'm thrilled the winners were students who came together after achieving some success individually. In the near time, the prize is understanding the contents of the scrolls. But in the longer term, the true prize will be the methods and technologies unlocked and shared widely as this contest as it enters its next phases! ———— 💯 human written content ✅ I verify I’ve read all linked content https://lnkd.in/ee77DBZq