The 800 tightly rolled papyrus scrolls found in a room in a villa in Pompeii which likely comprise the personal library of a philosopher employed by the villa’s owner were carbonized in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and cannot be opened to read without crumbling apart. “Survivors of Vesuvius Offer Their First Word”, an article by Nicholas Wade in the Saturday October 14, 2023 Arts Section of The New York Times discusses how computer tomography paired with artificial intelligence is being used to decipher letters written on the scrolls in charcoal based ink. In order to accelerate the pace of work, private donors have sponsored a prize. The first person to decipher four separate passages of at least 140 characters will win $700,000. Around 1,500 people are now working on the problem. A large cash award would seem to spur on work. #ConservationintheNews