Discoveries in AI uncover fresh insights concerning a celebrated Latin text!
In the world of ancient history, a groundbreaking AI system named Aeneas is making waves. Developed in partnership with universities and Google DeepMind, this innovative tool is designed to assist in the analysis, categorization, and dating of ancient Latin inscriptions, including the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (RGDA).
Aeneas, named after the Trojan hero and ancestor of the Romans, works similarly to a previous system called Ithaca, but with a focus on Latin rather than Greek. This system is transforming the study of ancient Latin inscriptions, making the analysis more systematic, comprehensive, and accessible to historians.
One of Aeneas' key functionalities is restoring missing text in damaged inscriptions. By predicting plausible restorations based on training data from 176,861 Latin inscriptions spanning from the 7th century BCE to the 8th century CE, Aeneas can fill in gaps without prior knowledge of how much text is missing.
The model also excels in dating and localizing inscriptions with good accuracy. Using a generative neural network trained on a large and geographically diverse corpus, Aeneas estimates the date and geographical source of inscriptions with remarkable precision.
Aeneas' contextual analysis capabilities are another significant feature. By identifying linguistic, stylistic, and functional parallels in other inscriptions, historians can interpret and attribute fragmentary texts more efficiently than traditional manual methods. For instance, Aeneas' analysis of the RGDA revealed previously unnoticed subtle language parallels with Roman legal documents, highlighting its role in imperial political discourse and enhancing historical understanding of Augustus's self-presentation.
Rather than replacing experts, Aeneas accelerates their work by rapidly retrieving relevant parallels and generating hypotheses based on a rational evidence base. This allows historians to focus on deeper interpretative connections.
The Aeneas system, when used by epigraphists, has led to more accurate and faster results in determining an inscription's location and possible date. For example, its use in the analysis of the RGDA has drawn attention from classicists Jackie Baines and Edward Ross, who have acknowledged the significance of Aeneas' findings in the dating of the RGDA.
The RGDA, an autobiographical account conveying messages aimed at promoting imperial politics and power, shows similarities with the language used in Roman legal documents, as identified by Aeneas. The system has also found parallels between the RGDA and inscriptions dating from the 10th to the 1st century BCE, as well as from the 10th to the 20th century CE.
The study, led by historian Thea Sommerschield of Nottingham University and computer scientist Yannis Assael of Google DeepMind, is open access and extensible, allowing broad academic use. Its architecture also permits adaptation to other ancient languages and materials like papyri and coinage.
In summary, Aeneas is revolutionizing the study of ancient Latin inscriptions, making the analysis more systematic, comprehensive, and accessible. By combining restoration, dating, localization, and comparative contextualization in a single AI tool, Aeneas is set to redefine the way historians approach and understand ancient texts.
Technology, particularly artificial-intelligence, has revolutionized the field of ancient studies, especially in the analysis and interpretation of Latin inscriptions. Developed for this purpose, Aeneas, an AI system, employs contextual analysis, text restoration, dating, and localization capabilities, transforming how historians approach and understand ancient texts.
