[June 26, 2026] I am amazed and thrilled that the severely damaged textual scrolls from parts of ancient cultures are now being read. It now looks like we will be able to read the voices from 2,000 years ago.
One example are the scrolls found in the Lost Library of Herculaneum. The problem, of course, is trying to figure out how to virtually unroll these scrolls that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost destroyed.
Raven Todd DaSilva (YouTube channel creator and archaeologist) provides a recent update. She tells us that researchers working on the Vesuvius Challenge, working with 2,000 year old scrolls from the Roman site of Herculaneum (once thought to be completely unreadable), have developed a way to virtually unwrap these carbonized scrolls.
DaSilva is saying that “we officially have our first look at a successful end-to-end unwrapping of an entire scroll!” Naturally, this is big news. But why is it big news? I think that being able to peer into the past methods of successful societies can be useful, and more than pragmatic.
To illustrate the technological advances now allow us to read from a lost work about Alexander the Great and the Diadochi, the rival families that fought for control over Alexander’s empire after his death. We can gain tremendous insight into one of the world’s greatest leaders. And how did he accomplish such great feats, the dynamics of family, and the processes of post-Empire struggles.
Two of these scrolls are highlighted. Herculaneum scroll PHerc. 1667 (Scroll 4 in Vesuvius Challenge) was virtually unwrapped using X-ray CT scans, AI, and segmentation techniques by Brent Seales’ team and Vesuvius Challenge participants.
High-res scans enabled digital flattening of its inner core, revealing previously unreadable Greek philosophical texts on ethics, arts, human behavior (possibly Stoic influences, terms like hormē and phronēsis). Part of efforts yielding full readings of ancient works, advancing non-destructive papyrology.
“This is a quantum leap in progress because the scroll was deemed completely unreadable when scholars tried to open it in the 1980s … using disarming techniques, but instead they ended up destroying half of it in the process.”
Proposed authors of these texts could be Epicurus (proposed moderate hedonism) or Chrysippus (stoic philosopher) or even someone completely new that we’ve never heard of among the ancients. What they have seen so far is a sort of philosophical treatise concerned with ethics, arts, and human behavior.
The possibilities of adding to our human understanding is tremendous, and not to be ignored. These new technologies and the benefits will certainly be studied for years to come.
The fact that we can now read the voices of the ancients from 2,000 years ago, is to be applauded. This is beauty.
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Good one, Gen. Satterfield.
Sir, thanks. I see you go off the normal track of learning about leadership to discuss what could be called “beauty.” Good for you. This makes for an occasionally unexpected, and mostly pleasant deviation. And that is okay with me, a hick, like you, from the South. Hang in there sir, and keep your blog active and alive with new content. I would ask that you soon write about your thoughts on the Ukraine War and America’s war with Iran.
Sir, your article really got me thinking. Learning about those old scrolls from Herculaneum can be exciting for the curious. Technology is helping us read texts that were buried for thousands of years. It feels like hearing voices from the past. We can learn how ancient people thought about leadership and life. Alexander the Great’s story still matters today. The way his empire split shows real human struggles. Stoic ideas in those scrolls could teach us about staying calm under pressure. Ethics and good behavior never go out of style. This discovery opens up so many new chances to study history. It proves we should keep pushing science forward. I enjoyed reading your take on it. Thanks for sharing this cool update. Keep up the great work on the site.
Indeed, a beautiful gift for us today to discover how our ancestors acted and thought.
Agreed, Paulette.
These recovered voices from Herculaneum offer timeless leadership lessons in ethics, duty, and resilience—echoing Stoic wisdom like Marcus Aurelius. As a retired manager, I see direct parallels to commercial command and personal growth. Technology unlocking these scrolls is a profound gift for understanding human nature and successful societies. Beauty indeed in bridging 2,000 years.