Naples, 25 June (LaPresse) – Two previously unknown books by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus of Gadara, and extensive sections of a text on Stoic philosophy, either by a follower of Chrysippus of Soli or perhaps by a completely new author. Some 2,000 years on, the Herculaneum papyri continue to reveal their secrets thanks to the Vesuvius Challenge, an international scientific competition set up to decipher the 1,800 scrolls charred during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, which were unearthed during excavations at the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum and are now housed in the National Library of Naples. Here, Brent Seales, co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge and holder of the Stanley and Karen Pigman Chair in Heritage Sciences at the University of Kentucky, presented the latest discoveries made by researchers using X-ray scans and artificial intelligence to analyse the scrolls that remain intact – which have not been physically opened – as well as numerous fragments that were considered illegible until just a few decades ago. Among the most fascinating findings were the complete virtual reconstruction of the surviving portion of the papyrus known as ‘PHerc. 1667’, which revealed almost 1.5 metres of text spread across 20 columns, and the identification of previously unknown works by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, including Book 1 of ‘On Vices’ and Book 8 of ‘On the Gods’.
Archaeology: Stoic text and books by Philodemus discovered in the Herculaneum Papyri
Naples, 25 June (LaPresse) – Two previously unknown books by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus of Gadara, and extensive sections of a text on Stoic philosophy, either by a follower of Chrysippus of Soli or perhaps by a completely new author. Some 2,000 years on, the Herculaneum papyri continue to reveal their secrets thanks to the Vesuvius Challenge, an international scientific competition set up to decipher the 1,800 scrolls charred during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, which were unearthed during excavations at the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum and are now housed in the National Library of Naples. Here, Brent Seales, co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge and holder of the Stanley and Karen Pigman Chair in Heritage Sciences at the University of Kentucky, presented the latest discoveries made by researchers using X-ray scans and artificial intelligence to analyse the scrolls that remain intact – which have not been physically opened – as well as numerous fragments that were considered illegible until just a few decades ago. Among the most fascinating findings were the complete virtual reconstruction of the surviving portion of the papyrus known as ‘PHerc. 1667’, which revealed almost 1.5 metres of text spread across 20 columns, and the identification of previously unknown works by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, including Book 1 of ‘On Vices’ and Book 8 of ‘On the Gods’.
