Few objects pique the curiosity of academics quite like the Herculaneum scrolls – the ancient documents buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. These priceless rolled-up documents carry ancient text written in carbon-based ink on papyrus – a material similar to paper made from the pith of the papyrus plant. Now, for the first time, researchers have found the title and author inside one of the scrolls known as PHerc. With the help of AI, it has been identified as'On Vices' by the Greek philosopher Philodemus, a historic ethical treatise providing guidance for'cultivating a virtuous life'. In recognition of this achievement, researchers have been awarded the Vesuvius Challenge First Title Prize, which includes prize money of 60,000/ 45,000.

It's been left unread for nearly 2,000 years, last glimpsed when the Roman Empire ruled over Europe. Now, scientists have used AI to virtually unfurl one of the Herculaneum scrolls – the ancient documents buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 'It's an incredible moment in history as librarians, computer scientists and scholars of the classical period are collaborating to see the unseen,' said Richard Ovenden, senior executive Bodleian Libraries. 'The astonishing strides forward made with imaging, and AI are enabling us to look inside scrolls that have not been read for almost 2,000 years.' The Herculaneum scrolls are thought to contain profound philosophical and literary texts from ancient Greek and Roman scholars. The problem is that any attempts to unroll the burnt cylinders will turn them to dust because they are so fragile – meaning the words would be lost forever.

They were turned to carbonized lumps by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Now, scientists are offering 400,000 to the person who can decipher the charred Herculaneum Scrolls. These ancient rolls of papyrus – a material similar to paper – are thought to contain profound philosophical and literary texts from ancient Greek and Roman scholars. The problem is that any attempts to unroll the burnt cylinders will turn them to dust, because they are so fragile. So, scientists have been turning to ingenious methods such as x-ray scanning, ink-detection software and AI to virtually'unroll' them.

The Herculaneum Scrolls contain hugely significant philosophical and literary texts from ancient Greek and Roman scholars, but were turned to carbonized lumps by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Attempts to unroll the scrolls have damaged or destroyed them, turning the precious coal-like relics to dust. Now, scientists are using clever scanning techniques to identify the text written within – without having to unroll the fragile'papyrus' pages. The team has already read one of the scrolls to discover how Greek philosopher Plato spent his last evening 2,500 years ago - but say other huge revelations about Socrates could be in store. Graziano Ranocchia, a papyrologist from the University of Pisa in Italy, said: 'Plato is just the start'.

Scientists have used AI to unravel a 2,000-year-old mystery, deciphering an unopened scroll charred to ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. When Mt Vesuvius erupted in 79CE, the nearby town of Herculaneum was entombed in a flood of volcanic mud and ash, taking with it a library of over 1,800 ancient manuscripts. While it was feared that the knowledge of the scrolls would be forever lost, two computer scientists have just won $50,000 (£41,168) for revealing the first word from the carbonized scrolls. Luke Farritor from Nebraska and Youssef Nader from Berlin independently revealed the same word hidden within the heart of the sealed manuscript - 'πορφύραc' - meaning purple dye or clothes of purple. The discovery was announced by Professor Brent Seales, a computer scientist from the University of Kentucky, who launched the so-called Vesuvius Challenge in March, offering cash prizes for anyone who could read the manuscripts.

Scientists are offering $250,000 (£205,000) in prizes for anybody who can read a series of 2,000-year-old manuscripts that were charred during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. When the volcano blast wiped out Pompeii in 79AD, hundreds of texts from the Herculaneum library were buried and carbonised by the smoking ash and gases. They resurfaced in 1752 in a villa near the Bay of Naples which is once believed to belong to the father-in-law Julius Caesar, but their contents have remained a mystery as scientists judged them too fragile to unfurl. Now a team of researchers has launched a contest after showing that an artificial intelligence system can extract letters and symbols from high-resolution X-ray images of the documents. This machine-learning algorithm was trained to read the ink on both the surface and hidden layers of the unopened scrolls.

Before the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii was a thriving city with a population of up to 20,000 people. Now, scientists have delved deeper into one of Pompeii's most beautiful homes, the House of Greek Epigrams. While the house has been damaged through centuries of neglect, weathering and volcanic eruptions, researchers from Lund University have been able to rebuild it, using virtual reality and eye-tracking technology. 'Eye-tracking technology and virtual reality do now provide unprecedented opportunities to assess the visual qualities of ancient spaces,' said Dr Giacomo Landeschi, co-author of the study. Moment Miley Cyrus' plane was struck by lightning The House of Greek Epigrams is an impressive home in northeast Pompeii that was once decorated with intricate frescoes.

A'shocking' discovery in Pompeii has found the undisturbed skeletons of five people who tried to take refuge from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D.79. It is believe the five, two women and three children, sought safety in a small room - but were either crushed when the roof caved in or burned. The house where they were found has revealed a string of discoveries in recent weeks - from stunning murals to an inscription that revealed the eruption was earlier than thought. The remains of five people, probably two women and three children, were found in a during excavations in Pompeii, Italy, 24 October 2018. The director of the Pompeii archaeological site, Massimo Osanna, called it'a shocking find, but also very important for history.'

The exploded skull of a man who died in the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago has been pieced together giving scientists a unique opportunity to capture the ancient face using 3D imaging. It is the first real-life reconstruction of the features of a victim of the volcanic disaster who lived in the ill-fated seaside town of Herculaneum. The appearance is that of a typical southern European who may have been wealthy and educated because he was 50 years old when he died - an unusual milestone for the time. He was one of 350 casualties discovered frozen in time, buried under volcanic ash in Herculaneum. This is the first real-life reconstruction of the features of a victim of the volcanic disaster who lived in the ill-fated seaside town of Herculaneum.