ISAW Announces ArchaeoHack 2025: Hacking the Ancient World with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

This November, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World will host ArchaeoHack 2025, the first university-level programming competition (hackathon) focused on archaeology and the ancient world.

Taking place November 15th to 16th, the event invites undergraduate students from across NYU to tackle a long-standing challenge in ancient language studies – the lack of a user-friendly input system for ancient hieroglyphics.

Using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, five teams of undergraduate participants will work to develop a sign recognition application for ancient hieroglyphics that will assist scholars and students of the ancient world in their research and learning.

Open to students from all academic backgrounds and coding skill levels, ArchaeoHack 2025 includes three preparatory online workshops introducing participants to AI-assisted programming, machine learning algorithms for sign recognition, and the target ancient hieroglyphics. Each participant will also receive a $20 stipend to explore AI tools of their choice. Teams of up to four students will compete for the top prize of $100 per team member, awarded to the most effective and innovative project.

ArchaeoHack 2025 is organized by ISAW PhD students Tianrui Zhu, Manolis Mavromatis, and Stefano Aprà. ISAW PhD candidate Ida Adsbøl Christensen, Research Associate Professor Dr. Patrick Burns, and other ISAW faculty, staff, and students have generously contributed to the programming and logistics.

The event is co-sponsored by ISAW and NYU ArchaeoHub, and is supported by NYU Arts & Science Office of Teaching Excellence and Innovation, NYU Libraries, NYU Center for Undergraduate Research, and NYU IT. Our teams of judges and volunteers include faculty, associates, and PhD students from ISAW, the NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, NYU Anthropology, and Columbia University, as well as experts from the tech industry.

For additional information, please visit the event website or contact the organizers directly at archaeohack@gmail.com