Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible

Most of the world knows about Pompeii, the ancient roman city on the Gulf of Naples that was famously destroyed and buried for nearly 1,700 years following a catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Far fewer however have heard of the nearby site of Herculaneum, Pompeii's sister city which suffered the same fate. While lesser known than Pompeii, Herculaneum is no less special. In fact because of its proximity on the western slope of Vesuvius, and the nature of the eruption that buried it, the city is uniquely preserved; in many ways better than Pompeii. Wooden doors, window frames and even furniture survived at Herculaneum but are non-existent at Pompeii. There are also the skeletons of hundreds of victims found frozen in anguish as they attempted to escape the unimaginable heat and gas of the volcano. What really makes Herculaneum special however is its "Villa dei Papiri" discovered just outside the city and containing the largest library from the ancient world ever found. Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible will be a documentary film that explores this most unique archeological treasure, the attempts and failures to open and read its ancient papyrus and now the creative application of super high-tech imaging and artificial intelligence to "virtually unwrap" the scrolls. For the first time in 2,000 years we are about to learn their secrets.

Sometimes referred to as "The other Pompeii" it was actually Herculaneum that was discovered first in 1709 during the digging of a well in the small town of Ercolano just outside of Naples. Initially explored through tunneling with the objective being to discover buried roman treasures, when the Villa dei Papiri was found it proved to be a gold mine of ancient art. Extraordinary examples of roman statues brought to light are today on display at the National Archeological Museum in Naples. It is not known for certain who the owner was but because of its size, grandeur and massive collection of papyrus scrolls, it is one of the great archeological treasures of the world. In the 20th century, billionaire art collector J. Paul Getty would create his museum in Malibu, California based off of archeologist's theoretical mapping of the site which even today remains mostly underground.

When first discovered, the scrolls were not immediately recognized as anything of value. In fact, badly carbonized by the heat of the eruption, they were initially dismissed entirely with some even being discarded or destroyed. Later identified as ancient papyrus - some 1,800 scrolls and fragments have been unearthed to date - their tremendous value became apparent. For centuries different techniques have been employed in attempts to open the scrolls and read their contents. Because of their extremely fragile state, they have long been believed to be impossible to read and their contents lost forever. Or perhaps not….

Dr. Brent Seales, a computer scientist from the University of Kentucky and known worldwide for his success in creatively applying cutting-edge imaging techniques in order to read and help preserve historical texts, had the idea to combine today's powerful medical technology such as used when making CT scans to see inside the human body with artificial intelligence to create a process he and his team at the Digital Restoration Initiative call "Virtual Unwrapping." The technique is completely noninvasive as extremely high resolution images allow scientists to look inside the scrolls and recreate their contents in a virtual environment without the need to open them. While the process may sound like science fiction, it has already been tested and proven to work with astonishing results. In 2015 Dr. Seales and his team digitally unwrapped the En-Gedi scroll found near the Dead Sea. The contents were revealed to be the biblical book of Leviticus; the oldest version ever found.

For years, Dr. Seales and his team have attempted to align the necessary elements in order to finally reveal the secrets of the scrolls. At last, the National Library in Naples, Italy has given them access, the technology has been perfected and with major funding from the Mellon Foundation, the work is about to begin.

Story and Themes

Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible will tell three parallel stories:

• The discovery of Herculaneum and the Villa dei Papiri in the 1700's and the subsequent archeological investigations to explore and understand it. Even to this day most of the ancient city is still beneath the present day town of Ercolano.

• The various attempts over the centuries to open the scrolls and study their contents. Scholars now know that the majority are greek while a smaller portion are latin and were already very old when they were buried by Vesuvius in 79 A.D. It is also known that they contain precious examples of philosophy and are extremely valuable texts insofar as serving to better understand the ancient world.

• Following Dr. Seales and the Digital Restoration Initiative team from the University of Kentucky as they work from the National Library in Naples, Italy as well as in their laboratories in Lexington Kentucky to reveal for the first time in 2,000 years the contents of the scrolls.

While telling these stories, the film will also explore important themes in the fields of humanities and science such as:

Old world. New world. The small Italian town of Ercolano where the Herculaneum and Villa dei Papiri archeological sites are located are just outside of Naples in southern Italy. It is quintessential old world and resembles a real life "Presepe" nativity scene. The contrast of this location and culture with that of the rolling green hills, farmland and legendary horse country of Kentucky is dramatic. Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible will show the cultural and visual uniqueness of each place. Additionally the world renowned institutions of the Institut de France in Paris and Oxford University in England as well as the Getty Villa in Malibu, California where scholars will be interviewed and discuss the extreme uniqueness and importance of the scrolls will add further visual and cultural intrigue to the production.

Conserving the past for the future. Along with Herculaneum and Pompeii, Southern Italy is covered with archeological sites. They are so numerous in fact that many are in various states of further decay or virtually completely abandoned. Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible will emphasize the importance of properly conserving archeological sites that have already been discovered, exploring new areas and how to properly find the balance when resources are limited.

Characters and Interviews

The filmmakers are currently further researching for the production and conducting preliminary interviews. Primary characters and interviews will include:

Dr. Brent Seales - The world renowned computer scientists from the University of Kentucky who has long dreamed of reading the Herculaneum scrolls and is responsible for developing the technology of "Digital unwrapping."

Students and staff of the Digital Restoration Initiative - With Dr. Brent Seales at the helm, the team of scientists at the DRI will be those working hands-on to render the scrolls legible for the first time in 2,000 years.

Fabrizio Diozzi - Responsabile for the Officina dei Papiri Ercolonesi at the National Library of Naples, Italy where almost the entirety of the Herculaneum scrolls are held.

The film will also include interviews with leading experts of the Herculaneum scrolls around the world. Among those interviewed will be:

David Blank - Professor of Classics at the University of California Los Angeles

Daniel Delattre - French National Centre for Scientific Research

Robert Fowler - Professor of Greek at the University of Bristol

Stephanie Frampton - Associate Professor and co-chair of Ancient and Medieval Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Madame Françoise Bérard - Directrice de la Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France

Richard Janko - Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan

Francesca Longo Auricchio - Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

Roger Macfarlane - Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Brigham Young University

Carol Mattusch - American Friends of Herculaneum

Karen Trentleman - Getty Conservation Institute

Why this film now?

For nearly three centuries archeologists, scholars and scientists have attempted to open the Herculaneum scrolls in order to discover their contents. While some pages have been revealed a huge number of scrolls have been left entirely untouched as they are simply too fragile. Dr. Seales and the Digital Restoration Initiative team are about to change all of this with their use of virtual unwrapping and artificial intelligence which will allow us to see inside the scrolls without even touching them. The contents will finally be revealed after nearly 2,000 years shrouded in mystery. Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible will capture this remarkable moment in history while it's unfolding. What will be found inside? Nobody knows but it will without question shed significant new light on our knowledge and understanding of the ancient world. The film will record the challenges, discoveries and ultimate success of scientists, scholars and technology all working together and making it possible for us to fully realize one of the most significant archeological finds in history.

Production timeline

In May 2020, Producer/Director Jon Dunham was awarded a development grant for Herculaneum: Reading the Invisible from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is now in the process of meeting with scholars, more fully researching the project and creating a script which will be used to prepare a request for a production grant from the NEH in January 2021. Based in Naples, Italy, the filmmaker is uniquely positioned to research and produce the film. He will begin pitching the project to potential broadcast partners such as NOVA, National Geographic and Rai Storia this summer with the objective of submitting the NEH production grant request with a broadcaster in place.

Filmmaker Biographies

Jon Dunham - Producer/Director

Jon Dunham is an award winning producer, director and cinematographer who's films have been seen in cinemas and on television and streaming platforms worldwide. A native of Southern California and a graduate of USC's prestigious School of Cinematic Arts, his first film Spirit of the Marathon, premiered at the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival where it won the coveted Audience Award. It was subsequently distributed in cinemas across the United States and Canada where it grossed $1 million dollars in its first two nights on its way to becoming one of the year's highest earning theatrically released documentary films. The financial and critical success of the film generated two follow-ups, the most recent of which is BOSTON, the definitive story of the Boston Marathon including the 2013 bombings and 2014 comeback race. Narrated by Academy Award winner Matt Damon, and featuring an original score composed by multi Emmy Award winning composer Jeff Beal and recorded by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the production has received tremendous critical acclaim and has a rating of "100 Percent Fresh" on industry review and box office reporting site Rotten Tomatoes. As the film's producer/director, Jon has received numerous awards including the Bud Greenspan Memorial Award in honor of legendary Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan. It is currently in worldwide digital distribution with Lionsgate in 96 territories and is available on Amazon Prime, iTunes and other VOD services.

As a cinematographer, Jon has traveled extensively and has lensed films on all seven continents. He has worked on productions for Netflix, the BBC, PBS and others and documentaries he has shot have been in competition at the Sundance, Tribeca, AFI and Palm Springs Film Festivals among many others.

In 2018 Jon was selected as a filmmaker to represent the United States in the American Film Showcase. He has since presented his work and given filmmaking talks in collaboration with U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Russia, India and the Kingdom of Bahrain. He has also recently given filmmaking workshops in collaboration with Massachusetts based non-profit Filmmaker's Collaborative.

Jon has a passion for Italy and its culture. He lives in Naples, Italy with his family and is actively developing and producing numerous productions in Italy and abroad.

Megan Williams - Consulting Producer

Megan Williams is an independent documentary film producer and the recipient of numerous awards including an Academy Award Nomination, Short Subject Documentary (Language Says It All); the Alfred I. duPont – Columbia Journalism Award for TVTV's Lord of the Universe; and most recently, the Bud Greenspan Memorial Film and Video Award from the Track and Field Writers of America (BOSTON, The Documentary). Williams' documentary work explores issues surrounding topics and events including the Boston Marathon, childhood deafness, the US Embargo of Cuba, the California AIDS ride, the Democratic and Republican Conventions, the Super Bowl, the Oscars and Bob Dylan's Hard Rain Concert.

From 1996-2000, Williams served as adjunct professor at the School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California. Her most recent film is BOSTON, the first-ever feature length documentary about the history of the iconic Boston Marathon. (www.bostonmarathonfilm.com). Her work in the 1970s as a founder and partner of TVTV – one of the first independent documentary video production companies – is featured in the book Subject to Change: Guerilla Television Revisited by Deirdre Boyle, Oxford University Press, 1997; and was showcased in a major retrospective at the Museum of Television and Radio, New York City. In 2017, TVTV was included as one of the world's most influential artists of the 20th century. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ most-influential-artists-1093196. The TVTV archive is in the permanent collection of the Pacific Film Archive, University of California, Berkeley. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ TVTV_(video_collective).

In 1982, in response to her infant son's diagnosis of profound hearing loss, Williams founded TRIPOD, a non-profit organization for deaf children and their families that significantly changed the way deaf children are educated. During the 16 years she served as TRIPOD's CEO and President of the Board of Trustees (1982-1998), she produced several short films on educating and raising a deaf child for parents and teachers. Today, the TRIPOD school Williams founded is part of the Burbank Unified School District. The TRIPOD archive is in the permanent collection of the Wallace Library, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. https://www.rit.edu/ntid/radscc/tripod/