Brent Seales

Co-leader of the Vesuvius Challenge

Appears in 1 story

Last updated Nov 4, 2026

Stories

Writing read from a carbonized Herculaneum scroll for the first time in 2,000 years

New Capabilities

Leading the competition's prize program

For 2,000 years, the text inside PHerc. 306B was sealed by carbonization. On Nov. 2, 2026, the Vesuvius Challenge awarded Liam Warner and Nicola Bodill a $50,000 First Letters Prize after they recovered readable letters from an X-ray scan.

Updated Nov 3