- Researchers virtually unwrapped and read the Herculaneum scroll PHerc. 1667 without physically opening it, using X-ray scanning and machine learning.
- The recovered text from PHerc. 1667 is a fragmentary Stoic philosophical treatise on ethics from the 2nd century BC, including mentions of Aristocreon.
- Higher-resolution imaging on PHerc. Paris 4 (Scroll 1) made ink visible in 3D X-ray data, confirming prior readings independently.
- In PHerc. 139, the title and author (Philodemus, On Gods, Book 8) were identified from a closed scroll, aiding scholarly study.
- The method involves phase-contrast X-ray microtomography, surface reconstruction, and open data/code, enabling scalable application to other scrolls.
- The Vesuvius Challenge fostered open, global collaboration, with contestants becoming research team members to achieve this breakthrough.
- Hundreds more sealed Herculaneum scrolls await reading, with the technique designed to scale and all resources publicly available.