April 10, 2006—Scientists have started to decode some mysterious scrolls found centuries ago in the ancient Roman village of Herculaneum. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 entombed the town in lava and ash, but the blackened papyruses survived—barely.

Join the scientists as they use new technology to reveal the scrolls' hidden words and become the first people in nearly 2,000 years to read the documents.