The uncanny ability of artificial intelligence to detect patterns in large amounts of data could reveal some of the most thorny mysteries of the ancient world.
Researchers working with companies, such as IBM and Google's Deepmind, are on the cusp of deciphering ancient texts that were previously thought to be unreadable.
Artificial intelligence allows researchers to sift through images much faster than humans, and these techniques can answer fundamental questions about the history of language, and perhaps reveal lost works of Greek and Roman writers.
Decipher the mystery of an unknown language
Researchers have been unable to decipher a mysterious and unknown language, " Linear A ," discovered on tablets on the island of Crete in 1900, but artificial intelligence may be able to decipher the code.
Some of the most famous examples of unknown languages in the world include stones and tablets written in the strange language "LInear A", the main script used by the Minoan civilization, a Bronze Age kingdom led by King Minos.
Linear A dates back to 1800 BC, and despite numerous efforts, it has never been deciphered.
Another more recent script found on tablets on the island, Linear B, was discovered in 1953.
This achievement came thanks to the researchers' realization that repeated words in the language may be names of places on the island, and that Linear B may be similar to the ancient Greek language.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Deepmind artificial intelligence laboratory used artificial intelligence to automatically translate texts in Linear B, raising hopes that artificial intelligence could one day unravel the mystery of Linear A texts.
A team from MIT and Deepmind is working on a new system that can decode lost languages by exploring the relationships between different languages.
Reading ancient manuscripts
Researchers discovered the Herculaneum Scrolls in ruins near Pompeii, which were brittle charred and preserved following the volcanic eruption in 76 AD.
Herculaneum was buried under scorching mud during the volcanic eruption, and the manuscripts were found in 1750 inside a luxurious villa believed to have been owned by Julius Caesar's father-in-law.
Unlike other libraries from the period, which decayed due to contact with air, the manuscripts were preserved, but were not yet readable.
Artificial intelligence could provide a way for researchers to read passages from manuscripts, which remained obscure for nearly two millennia after the volcanic eruption.
The research, led by Professor Brent Sales of the University of Kentucky and with a cash prize from Silicon Valley investors, uses artificial intelligence models to decipher the manuscripts.
Computer science students used tomography (similar to X-ray scans) and artificial intelligence to "read" the marks on a papyrus scroll.
A student managed to unravel the first word - "purple" - from one manuscript, winning $40,000 in the Vesuvius Challenge.
The secret of the Nazca lines
The Nazca Lines, which feature strange animals and humanoids, were first found in 1927, but no one has ever explained their purpose.
Conspiracy theorists suggest that the huge lines extending on the Nazca Plateau may have been drawn by aliens.
Scholars suggest that they were likely used as paths for processions, and their massive size made them visible to the gods.
Now, artificial intelligence is revitalizing the discovery of the new Nazca Lines, which people carved into the Peruvian landscape between 500 BC and 500 AD.
Researchers from Yamagata University accelerated the process of discovering the new Nazca lines by 21 times using "deep learning" in partnership with IBM, and are now using artificial intelligence to comb "geographic shapes" missing in previous searches.
Researchers are racing against time as erosion and climate change put the geoglyphs at risk.
Discovery of an ancient bakery in Pompeii in which slaves worked
During ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Pompeii, Italian archaeologists found a place that appears to have been a bakery in which slaves worked.
The Antiquities Museum notes in its statement that during excavations, scientists found a house divided into two parts, a residential part decorated with frescoes, and an industrial building - a bakery. A narrow room with small windows that were formerly covered with iron bars. Holes were dug in its floor to coordinate the movement of the donkeys, which ran around the millstones “for hours blindfolded.”
The discovery of an amazingly preserved mummy in the necropolis of Pompeii sheds light on some of the secrets of the doomed city
“This is the space in which we have to imagine slaves, whose owner thought it necessary to restrict their movement,” says Gabriel Zuschtregel, director of the archaeological park. “This is the most shocking aspect of ancient slavery, devoid of trust and promises of liberation, where everything turns into violence and brutality, and this This is an impression confirmed by the fact that iron bars are installed on the small windows.” The drawings and texts found indicate that the millstones were moved by two slaves and a donkey. In addition to pushing the millstone, the slave had to control the animal, monitor the grinding process, add grain, and collect the flour.
It should be noted that the city was discovered in 1592 under a layer of lava and ash. About 100 years later, archaeologists found a tablet with the inscription "Pompeii" on it, and they believed that the ruins belonged to the house of the leader and prominent political figure Pompey the Great (106-48 BC). Pompeii is currently a world-famous archaeological museum, one of the most visited museums in Italy, and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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