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National GeographicThe A.D. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that ravaged Pompeii also buried the nearby town of Herculaneum, entombing its celebrated library at the Villa of the Papyri. Buried beneath 60 feet of ash and rock, the papyrus scrolls within baked into brittle, misshapen lumps—preserved yet so fragile that archaeologists feared touching them. Now, nearly 2,000 years after the Vesuvian tragedy, the scrolls are giving up their secrets at last. Using particle accelerators and artificial intelligence, researchers finally have the ability to virtually “unwrap” the Herculaneum scrolls and read their contents. National Geographic got a first look at what they say, including one scroll that's potentially among the oldest in Roman history. Learn what researchers have deciphered so far at the 🔗 in bio.
On the profile · Jun 27, 2026