Who are we? Why do we do what we do? These are the questions humans have tried to answer since our earliest days.

To try to find the answers, we often look back to our past. Some people spend hours researching their family treeA diagram showing how members of a family are related. . Meanwhile, historians try to discover how whole nations and ways of thinking were born.

Now, AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  might be about to change how we think about the past forever.

Finding out about the past is a huge challenge. For most of human history, there have not been well-kept records and photographs. In fact, the further back we go, the less we know about our past.

Early last year, researchers announced an amazing leap forward in the study of ancientVery old. history.

Hundreds of years before, a large number of scrollsA roll of material that is used for writing on. It could be paper, parchment, papyrus etc. had been found in HerculaneumAn ancient city that was buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79. It is close to Pompeii. , an ancient RomanRelating to one of the largest empires in the ancient world. city that was destroyed by a volcanoA mountain which can send out ash, lava and gas from the Earth. . But the scrolls could not be unrolled without destroying them. However, using artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence, or "AI," is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning., the researchers were able to read them.

One scroll revealed all-new information about the death of PlatoOne of the most important Ancient Greek philosophers. , the famous philosopher.

This is not the only amazing new breakthrough. In 2021, Daniel Patt launched Numbers to Names, a website that uses AI that can recognise faces to identify people murdered by the NazisA German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II. during World War TwoA global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945 and included all of the great powers. .

What does this all mean for us? History has always shaped our sense of who we are. It may be that these new technologies reveal things we would never have dreamt about our own past.

Will this affect how we live?

Yes! We have only ever been able to see a tiny slice of our history. New technology could reveal a whole world of new information. This might turn everything we think we know on its head.

No! Most of the stories we tell about the past are little more than that - stories. These mythsStories told that are not based on real facts or evidence. They are often told over many years. change how we live more than any "real" history. So new information will not really change anything.

Family tree - A diagram showing how members of a family are related.

AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think. 

Ancient - Very old.

Scrolls - A roll of material that is used for writing on. It could be paper, parchment, papyrus etc.

Herculaneum - An ancient city that was buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79. It is close to Pompeii.

Ancient Roman - Relating to one of the largest empires in the ancient world.

Volcano - A mountain which can send out ash, lava and gas from the Earth.

Artificial Intelligence - Artificial intelligence, or "AI," is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning.

Plato - One of the most important Ancient Greek philosophers. 

Nazis - A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II.

World War Two - A global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945 and included all of the great powers.

Myths - Stories told that are not based on real facts or evidence. They are often told over many years.