(Washington Stand) Using technology unknown until a few years ago, researchers have used artificial intelligence to read part of a carbonized scroll found in what is believed to be the home of Julius Caesar’s father-in-law.
One of hundreds of scrolls discovered in Herculaneum, the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D., the charred and stone-like document has been found to record the teachings of an early first century philosopher named Philodemus. Philodemus was a follower of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who believed that material reality was all there is (even the gods had physical bodies, but even so, they didn’t care about us) and that the pursuit of pleasure through great meals, mental passivity, and avoiding politics is the key to a flourishing life. (Read More)
