The eruption of Mount Versuvius in 76 still buried the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculeneum. The entire city was buried under debris, dust and pyroclastic flows that killed tens of thousands of citizens of these two cities. It was only rediscovered in 1748 and now these two cities are tourist attractions in Italy.
Various artifacts have been found so far such as beds, tables, jewelry, plates and murals on the walls of buildings. But an ancient Herculeneum scroll found in 1750 has not yet been deciphered because it was impossible to read because it was burnt. A total of 1100 scrolls still hold mystery as they are preserved in the form of burnt papyrus.
Now the Herculeneum Challenge is announced with a prize of $250,000 (~RM 1.12 million) awaiting the individual or group who can read the Herculeneum scroll. A total of $50,000 will be awarded to the team that can identify the type of ink used. Then as much as $150,000 will be awarded to the team that can read four passages from the scroll continuously with 15% of the passages already lost forever. The remaining prizes have not yet been linked.
This challenge was announced to speed up the process of reading scrolls that have been locked in secret for thousands of years. Historians are excited by the discovery of these scrolls because they were kept in a villa once owned by Julius Caesar. There are likely among the ancient essays of prominent writers in this comprehensive historical collection.