How We Did It! Reading the Herculaneum Scrolls Without Opening Them
Thursday, October 10, 2024 | 7:30pm – Young 113 (open to the public)
In this talk, Dr. Brent Seales, the Stanley and Karen Pigman Chair of Heritage Science at the University of Kentucky, will discuss his 20 years of work developing a method to visualize and interpret severely damaged manuscripts that cannot physically be opened. Most recently, his method of digital unwrapping was used to recover the words of one of the Herculaneum scrolls, revealing a previously unknown Epicurean manuscript. Preserved under the ash of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, the Herculaneum scrolls offer a rare glimpse into the ancient world. His method integrates machine learning, digital imaging, and high speed physics, offering a non-invasive path for preserving other fragile artifacts. His work have been featured prominently in Scientific American, highlighting the global significance and impact of his research.
Free and Open to the Public.
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