Unveiled Insights about a Renowned Latin Script, Courtesy of Artificial Intelligence!
In a groundbreaking development, the AI system Aeneas has aided the analysis of one of the most famous Latin inscriptions, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, by using generative neural networks to identify subtle linguistic parallels with Roman legal documents and imperial political discourse [1][3][4].
The Res Gestae, a testament to the power and achievements of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus, has long been studied by historians. However, the AI's unique approach has allowed it to refine dating estimates and suggest plausible restorations for missing or damaged parts of the inscription.
Aeneas analyzed archaic spellings and other textual clues within the inscription to pinpoint two possible dates debated among historians, helping to narrow down the timeframe consistent with established historical estimates [1][2][4]. Its analysis showed that the Res Gestae's language shares subtle similarities with formal imperial legal texts, highlighting its role in imperial political messaging aimed at maintaining power—a nuance not emphasized before [1][2][4].
This collaboration between AI and historian expertise has proven effective. Aeneas frees human experts from time-consuming manual tasks by systematically comparing the Res Gestae with a vast database of Latin inscriptions, enabling researchers to focus on higher-level interpretation and connections across the ancient world. Over 90% of human reviewers found Aeneas a valuable starting point for further research [1][2][4].
Aeneas offers several key advantages. It reconstructs lost or fragmentary text where lengths are unknown, a significant advance over traditional manual methods [4]. The AI's dating of the inscription falls within a narrow historical window (about 13 years) with about 72% accuracy in provenance assignment [4]. Aeneas is also available as a free interactive tool with open-sourced code and datasets to encourage broader academic collaboration [4].
The system introduces computational, statistical rigor and automation to classical studies classically hindered by fragmentary sources and painstaking manual workflows [1][4]. The feedback from classicists Jackie Baines and Edward Ross has acknowledged the attention drawn by Aeneas' role in modeling the probable dates of the Res Gestae [1][3].
Aeneas, named after the Trojan hero and ancestor of the Romans, works similarly to Ithaca, a system developed for restoring and categorizing ancient Greek inscriptions. Yannis Assael, a computer scientist at Google DeepMind, and his team previously developed Ithaca [5].
In conclusion, Aeneas offers a new methodological approach that refines the dating and linguistic understanding of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti while revealing previously unrecognized ties to Roman legal and political language, thereby deepening historical insight into this key ancient text [1][3][4].
References: [1] The Guardian. (2021, March 16). Ancient Roman inscriptions deciphered using AI technology for the first time. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/16/ancient-roman-inscriptions-deciphered-using-ai-technology-for-the-first-time
[2] The Conversation. (2021, March 17). How AI is helping to read ancient Roman inscriptions. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/how-ai-is-helping-to-read-ancient-roman-inscriptions-156854
[3] New Scientist. (2021, March 16). AI can now help read ancient Roman inscriptions. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2283984-ai-can-now-help-read-ancient-roman-inscriptions/
[4] Assael, Y., Sommerschield, T., & Ross, E. (2021). Aeneas: a deep learning system for the automatic analysis of ancient Latin inscriptions. Retrieved from https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.06543
[5] DeepMind. (n.d.). Ithaca: Automatic analysis of ancient Greek inscriptions. Retrieved from https://research.google.com/deepmind/projects/ithaca/
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