Secrets of the Herculaneum Papyri

In a quiet corner of Naples, Italy, within the historic Biblioteca Nazionale, a groundbreaking journey into the past is underway. This venerable library, one of the largest in Italy, boasts an unparalleled collection of over a million books and manuscripts. Among its treasures, hidden in a specialized section on the third floor, lies a group of artifacts that promise to unlock secrets from the ancient world: the Herculaneum Papyri. These carbonized scrolls, buried under volcanic ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, represent some of the most tantalizing pieces of Roman archaeological history.

The Challenge of Opening the Scrolls

The Herculaneum Papyri were first rediscovered in the mid-eighteenth century in a villa believed to have been owned by the family of Julius Caesar. However, these scrolls presented an immense challenge. Encased in hardened volcanic material, early efforts to open them often led to destruction. Methods such as cutting the scrolls in half, soaking them in rose water, and even exposing them to “vegetable gas” proved disastrous. A major breakthrough came when a priest, Antonio Piaggio, devised a method to carefully peel back the layers of the scrolls using small weights and silk strings. Though this technique enabled the partial unrolling of over 200 scrolls, it left most in fragments.

For centuries, scholarship on the Herculaneum Papyri was limited to these fragmented scrolls. Despite their delicate condition, the scrolls offered invaluable glimpses into ancient texts, primarily focusing on Epicurean philosophy. Yet, the majority of the collection remained unreadable—until now.

A Modern Renaissance

Recent technological advancements are revolutionizing the study of the Herculaneum Papyri. Cutting-edge tools, such as high-resolution imaging and machine learning, are allowing researchers to virtually unwrap these delicate artifacts without causing physical damage. One particularly promising initiative is the Vesuvius Challenge, an ambitious project using artificial intelligence to decipher unopened scrolls.

In 2023, the first round of the Vesuvius Challenge demonstrated remarkable progress. The winning team managed to decode about 5% of the text on a previously unopened scroll. Building on this success, researchers are now focusing on deciphering entire scrolls. These developments suggest that we may soon access texts that have remained hidden for nearly two millennia.

Inside the Biblioteca Nazionale

A visit to the Biblioteca Nazionale’s papyrus section offers a glimpse into this fascinating work. The Officina dei Papiri, the dedicated section for the papyri, houses remnants of two and a half centuries of scholarship. Mementoes, such as the only scroll ever unrolled in a single piece and fragments of disintegrated papyri, are displayed in glass cases. Each scroll, cataloged and stored in metal cabinets with sliding trays, represents a delicate artifact awaiting study.

Dr. Federica Nicolardi, a leading papyrologist at the University of Naples Federico II, is at the forefront of this research. Together with her colleague Marzia D’Angelo and the Curious Company, she is developing Maque-IT, a software tool designed to assist in the virtual reconstruction of scrolls. By identifying and repositioning displaced fragments, this technology allows scholars to reconstruct the original texts digitally.

The Contents of the Scrolls

The majority of the Herculaneum scrolls belong to the Epicurean school of philosophy. This influential school, which rivaled Stoicism, emphasized the pursuit of pleasure—not indulgence in hedonism, but the achievement of ataraxia, a state of tranquility free from fear and pain. Most scholars believe the scrolls originated from the personal library of Philodemus of Gadara, an Epicurean philosopher of the first century BC.

Philodemus’ writings, spanning topics such as music, rhetoric, and sensory pleasures, dominate the collection. Recent discoveries, including a fragment deciphered by the Vesuvius Challenge team, suggest the existence of previously unknown works by Philodemus. These texts offer fresh insights into the intellectual and cultural life of the Hellenistic world.

The Potential for New Discoveries

Of the approximately 1,800 scrolls recovered from Herculaneum, nearly one-third remain unopened. If deciphered, these scrolls could reveal a treasure trove of new information. While many are expected to be additional works by Philodemus, others may include lost histories, epic poetry, and other significant literary texts. Past discoveries, such as fragments of a history by Seneca the Elder and an epic poem about the Battle of Actium, highlight the potential for groundbreaking findings.

Even more tantalizing is the possibility of unearthing an entirely new library. The villa where the scrolls were found is only partially excavated. Scholars hypothesize that its buried rooms could contain another library with a broader range of texts, including histories and literature. If discovered, such a collection could revolutionize our understanding of the ancient world on a scale comparable to the Renaissance.

Illuminating the Ancient World

The ongoing efforts to study the Herculaneum Papyri underscore the profound influence of the ancient world on modern society. From the philosophical debates of the Epicureans and Stoics to the poetic grandeur of lost epics, these scrolls offer a unique window into the intellectual heritage of antiquity. With advancements in technology and the dedication of scholars like Dr. Nicolardi, the secrets of the Herculaneum Papyri are finally coming to light, promising to enrich our understanding of history for generations to come.