Plots, love letters and remedies: The medieval secrets being revealed by AI
Historians are using artificial intelligence to crack open mysterious medieval texts that have been obscured by ciphers for centuries. The use of machine learning has allowed researchers to unravel the code of a 408-page-long manuscript known as the Borg cipher, which was found in the Vatican library. This technology has the potential to unlock a wealth of coded information from the past that has previously been uncrackable, revealing new insights into historical events and figures.
- ▪The Borg cipher is a 408-page-long manuscript that uses 34 obscure symbols and a few Roman letters to conceal secret remedies and healing practices.
- ▪Artificial intelligence is being used to crack historic ciphers, potentially unlocking around 1% of the material in archives and libraries around the world that is fully or partially encrypted.
- ▪The use of machine learning has allowed researchers to decode the Borg cipher, revealing thousands of bizarre treatments for various ailments, including drinking red wine to combat dysentery.
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| Original publisher | Bbc |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260527-plots-love-letters-and-diplomacy-the-medieval-secrets-being-revealed-by-ai |
| Publication time | Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:59:18 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-15T01:07:34.804Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-15T01:07:34.804Z |
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Plots, love letters and remedies: The medieval secrets being revealed by AI28 May 2026ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSandrine CeurstemontBeáta Megyesi(Credit: Beáta Megyesi)Historic messages and documents obscured by incomprehensible ciphers can be found in libraries and archives all over the world. Artificial intelligence is helping historians crack open these mysterious texts.Deep in the archives of the Vatican library, a mysterious hand-written book, scrawled with strange symbols, had lain unread for more than 400 years. Its cryptic pages apparently concealed secret remedies "for affections of the human body", according to some text scratched inside the cover.
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