October 3 2019, 12:01am,The Times

Modern science may be on the brink of uncovering a trove of ancient wisdom

The Roman resort of Herculaneum once stood in the Bay of Naples. Like Pompeii, it was buried in volcanic ash by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. In the mid-18th century workmen discovered the site, including the remains of a magnificent building thought to have been the residence of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, the father-in-law of Julius Caesar.

It has come to be known as the Villa of the Papyri, because it contained a library of some 2,000 papyrus scrolls. The volcano left them as blackened chars, yet new scientific techniques may now allow them to be read. And riches may lie in wait.

The scrolls have for 250 years resisted investigation because of their fragility. Any attempt to open them has destroyed

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The Times view on reading the scrolls of Herculaneum: Enlightenment Entombed - The Times