Ancient Texts, Modern Tools: How AI Transforms the Study of Classical Languages,

With Barbara McGillivray and Andrea Farina.

Abstract:
For centuries the study of word meanings in ancient texts has been limited to manual and small-scale analyses, hindering large-scale explorations. Today, artificial intelligence offers a powerful new lens, enabling us to trace how meaning evolved over time with precision and scale previously unimaginable. Understanding these changes helps us better grasp how past societies thought, communicated, and influenced the intellectual traditions that continue to shape the modern world.

This session combines a live talk and demonstration to explore how AI reshapes the study of ancient languages with particular attention to Latin and Ancient Greek. We will focus on how AI can track ‘semantic change’, the process by which words shift in meaning over time, using large language models (LLMs). This technology can help uncover historical nuances in texts, offering fresh insights into classical literature and culture.

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