DeepMind’s Aeneas AI Decodes Ancient Roman Inscriptions

Photo: WAM

Google’s DeepMind has created a powerful new tool called Aeneas, which is helping historians read and understand ancient Roman inscriptions. This tool was reported by The Guardian and is seen as a big step forward for history studies.

What is Aeneas AI and Why is it Needed?

For hundreds of years, historians have found inscriptions on old stones, tombs, monuments, and even daily-use items from the Roman Empire. These inscriptions were carved by Romans to write about their leaders, gods, family members, or even simple life events. They are like messages from the past.

However, many of these inscriptions are broken, damaged, or worn out because they are thousands of years old. Imagine if someone erased parts of your school notebook, and you had to guess what was written. This is exactly what historians face while reading ancient inscriptions. It takes years of study and careful thinking to understand them. Now, DeepMind’s Aeneas is making this job easier.

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How was Aeneas Developed?

Aeneas was not created alone by computer scientists. It was made in partnership with historians who study ancient Rome. One of the main historians in this project is Dr. Thea Sommerschield from the University of Nottingham. Together with AI experts, they trained Aeneas to understand Latin inscriptions.

The AI was trained on a huge database. This database had around 200,000 Latin inscriptions, which together contained more than 16 million characters. Each inscription is like a sentence or paragraph from ancient Rome. By reading so many inscriptions, Aeneas learned the patterns of language, style, and grammar used in those times.

What Makes Aeneas Different from Other AI Tools?

Many AI tools just look for keywords or simple matches to find meaning. But Aeneas is special because it does something deeper. It reads and understands historical and linguistic patterns. For example:

• It can look at a broken sentence and guess what words might be missing based on how Romans used language.

• It does not only read words but also analyses images of inscriptions to see the style of writing and carving.

• It compares each new inscription with similar inscriptions from the past to understand its meaning.

How Does Aeneas Help Historians?

1. Finding Origin and Date

One of the biggest challenges for historians is to find out where an inscription came from and when it was written. Aeneas can do this by:

• Identifying the Roman province where the inscription was created.

• Estimating its date, and it can do this within about 13 years of accuracy. For example, if an inscription was written in 220 AD, Aeneas might tell historians it was made between 210 AD and 223 AD.

2. Completing Missing Words

When inscriptions are broken, missing words make it hard to understand the full meaning. Aeneas suggests possible words or phrases to fill in these gaps. It has been tested on inscriptions where historians already know the full text. In these tests, Aeneas was very accurate, which made historians feel confident about using it for unknown inscriptions too.

3. Linking Inscriptions Across Regions

Sometimes the same event or leader was written about in different parts of the Roman Empire. Aeneas helps historians find links between similar inscriptions across regions. This gives a bigger picture of Roman life and history.

Example: Res Gestae Divi Augusti

One famous inscription where Aeneas showed its power is the Res Gestae Divi Augusti. This was a record written by Emperor Augustus himself, listing all his achievements. It is found in many copies across the old Roman world. Aeneas helped historians study its versions and understand how people in different regions read about Augustus’ works.

Why is Aeneas Called a Transformative Tool?

In a test where 23 historians used Aeneas, it was found to be useful in 90% of cases. This means almost every historian got help from Aeneas to:

• Read damaged inscriptions.

• Find correct dates and places.

• Complete missing words.

• Compare inscriptions for historical research.

Historians called Aeneas “transformative” because it changes how they study ancient writings. Earlier, reading inscriptions took months or years. Now, with Aeneas, historians can speed up their work and focus on deeper research questions.

Why is This Important for Us Today?

You may wonder why it matters to read old Roman inscriptions. Here is why:

• They tell us about ancient life: Who lived, what jobs they did, what gods they prayed to, and how they thought.

• They help us understand human history: By knowing about Romans, we learn how empires worked and what mistakes or successes they had.

• They keep old languages alive: Latin is not spoken today, but it shaped many modern languages, including English words like ‘aqua’ (water) and ‘video’ (I see).

What Will Happen Next with Aeneas?

DeepMind plans to keep working with historians to improve Aeneas further. In the future, it may:

• Learn to read inscriptions from other ancient cultures, like Greece or Egypt.

• Help in museum studies and archaeology, by reading texts on items found in excavations.

• Be used as an educational tool to teach students about ancient languages and history.

Aeneas is named after a hero from Roman mythology, who was known for his journey and bravery. This AI tool is also like a brave helper for historians. It goes deep into the history of words and languages, helps solve mysteries, and makes the past clearer for everyone.

With Aeneas, we are not just reading old stones. We are listening to voices from thousands of years ago, understanding their world, and learning lessons for today. Thanks to AI like Aeneas, history becomes alive again for us to study, explore, and enjoy.