Google's New AI Can Read Ancient Roman Inscriptions; Historians Call It "Jaw-Dropping"
Aeneas, named after the Trojan hero from Roman mythology, was developed in collaboration with historians, including Dr Thea Sommerschield from the University of Nottingham. The AI was trained on a database of nearly 200,000 Latin inscriptions, containing more than 16 million characters.
The inscriptions, found on monuments, tombs, and even everyday items, are valuable records of life in ancient Rome. However, many are fragmented or worn, making them difficult to interpret. Aeneas analyses the text and sometimes images from an inscription and compares it with similar examples from the 7th century BC to the 8th century AD. It uses deeper linguistic and historical patterns, not just keyword matches, to find connections, according to The Guardian.
The AI can determine the likely Roman province where an inscription was created and estimate its date within about 13 years. It also proposes possible words to fill in missing parts, tested so far on texts where the original wording is already known.
In tests, Aeneas provided accurate insights into famous inscriptions such as the Res Gestae Divi Augusti and linked similar texts across different regions of the Roman Empire. Historians called the tool "transformative," with 23 researchers finding it useful in 90% of cases.
Experts believe Aeneas will open new opportunities in the study of Latin inscriptions, making it easier for more people to contribute to historical research without needing access to rare materials or deep prior expertise. However, scholars emphasise the importance of using the tool thoughtfully and critically.
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