The $13.5 million (approximately €11.5 million) grant supports “UnLost: Uncovering Lost Knowledge from the Ancient Library of Herculaneum” — a project led by a global consortium of experts in papyrology and computer science.Congratulations to Professor Seales and his collaborators!Seales is one of three co-principal investigators selected for the highly competitive award, which funds only a handful of projects each year and is widely considered one of the most significant research grants globally — with success rates typically below 10%.
“This Synergy Grant gives us the resources and partnership structure we need to pursue what was once thought impossible — a full-scale recovery of the lost library of Herculaneum,” Seales said. “I’m honored to be part of a project that will rewrite what we know about the ancient world.”
For many PaleoJudaica posts on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE and its destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and on the efforts to reconstruct and decipher the carbonized library at Herculaneum, start here and follow the links.
The decipherment of the Herculaneum scrolls has gained momentum in the last few years. See that last link, plus here, here, here, here, and here.
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