World’s richest man, Elon Musk is pushing for an agenda to use technology to reconstruct and re-tell ancient history.
To that effect, the Tesla founder pledged one million Dollars through his foundation to “rewrite the history books”.
(One million Dollars is equivalent of eight hundred and seventy-three thousand Pounds)
THE TIMES commended Musk, noting that “his pledge to use technology to rewrite the history books should be embraced”.
The medium recalled that when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, the contents of some 1,800 scrolls were carbonised.
It noted further: The Herculaneum papyri, thought to be mostly Greek philosophical texts, were rendered unreadable for 2,000 years.
“Now, a group of technology entrepreneurs have sponsored the Vesuvius Challenge in the belief that advances in scanning, artificial intelligence and machine learning could unlock the secrets of the scrolls without damaging them.”
Presently, one million dollars, about seven hundred and fifty thousand Pounds has been awarded in several rounds of prizes to researchers.
The researchers had used computer to resurrect philosophical texts once thought to be lost to civilisation for all time.
THE TIMES said that Elon Musk, on his part, has a grasp on the potential of technology when it comes to archaeology.
It reported: “The Tesla founder pledged $1 million (£873,000) through his foundation to “rewrite the history books”.
“Mr. Musk has previously supported the Vesuvius Challenge.
“[He] contributed towards the digital scanning of the victory column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome, among other historical endeavours.”
The motivation
Explaining the motivation behind his philanthropy, the billionaire was quoted as saying:
“I am interested in the history and the rise and fall of Roman civilisations…
“As the ancient saying goes, all streets [sic] lead to Rome,” he added.
Observers, however, seem to balk at Musk’s ambition of re-telling history, given his combative views.
However, based on what he says, these efforts are aimed solely at a deeper exploration of what is already there.
This is particularly true in Italy, where, as THE TIMES reported, archaeological techniques are themselves stuck in the past, with paper records still rife.
“Musk has the money and energy to break with this outdated approach.
“Rome is too fascinating a subject for old stones to be left unturned.
“If Musk can shed new light on one of the great civilisations with his novel blend of ancient and modern, good luck to him,” said the observer.