New Technique Helps Archaeologists Decipher Ancient Languages

A conservationist works on a 1,500-year-old mosaic floor bearing Greek writing, discovered in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters)
A conservationist works on a 1,500-year-old mosaic floor bearing Greek writing, discovered in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters)
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New Technique Helps Archaeologists Decipher Ancient Languages

A conservationist works on a 1,500-year-old mosaic floor bearing Greek writing, discovered in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters)
A conservationist works on a 1,500-year-old mosaic floor bearing Greek writing, discovered in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters)

Developing an AI network can help scholars restore ancient Greek texts. Researchers at University of Oxford have recruited new deep learning techniques to decipher symbols of ancient languages.

The research team says there are many artifacts featuring important historical symbols and inscriptions that erode with time, noting that the clear inscriptions that archaeologists can read and understand are few.

In a test, where the AI attempted to fill the gaps in 2,949 damaged inscriptions, human experts managed to explain 30 percent of unclear symbols, whereas the network took two hours to decipher 50 inscriptions, reported the New Scientist website.

The team said the new network named "Pythia" is able to provide 20 different predictions to explain each eroded inscription, leaving the selection of the suitable hypothesis that correspond to the context of the ancient inscriptions to archaeologists.

In addition to providing various options, Pythia evaluates the reliability of each option or hypothesis it offers to archaeologists to help them reach the correct one.

"Pythia is the first electronic model used to restore ancient archaeological inscriptions by deciphering the eroded letters through deep learning networks," the study team wrote.



King Khalid International Airport Achieves Global Top Ranking for June

This achievement was highlighted in the monthly report by Cirium - SPA
This achievement was highlighted in the monthly report by Cirium - SPA
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King Khalid International Airport Achieves Global Top Ranking for June

This achievement was highlighted in the monthly report by Cirium - SPA
This achievement was highlighted in the monthly report by Cirium - SPA

The King Khalid International Airport (KKIA), managed and operated by Riyadh Airports, has achieved the first global ranking for the most punctual airports worldwide for the third time this year, recording an on-time performance of 90.41% for June, SPA reported.

This achievement was highlighted in the monthly report by Cirium, a company specializing in aviation analytics.

Cirium's reports are based on a wide range of data from airports and airlines, ensuring the highest levels of accuracy and transparency.

This data aims to improve flight planning efficiency and enhance the passenger experience.

The KKIA previously secured the first global ranking for on-time flight performance earlier this year, in March and April, in addition to achieving the same top position in 2024.