How lead-based ink may reveal hidden text on scorched Herculaneum scrolls
Researchers have found that lead-based ink used in ancient scrolls can be detected using X-ray computed tomography, potentially unlocking thousands of texts from Herculaneum destroyed by Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. The method involves burning papyrus scrolls under controlled conditions and then using X-rays to read the writing without unfolding them. This technique could help read lost Greek and Roman texts from Herculaneum.
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- ✓ The Herculaneum scrolls were buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
- ✓ The scrolls are black, brittle, and could crumble if opened.
- ✓ Lead-based ink used in ancient scrolls can be detected using X-ray computed tomography.
- ✓ The method involves burning papyrus scrolls under controlled conditions and then using X-rays to read the writing without unfolding them.
What changed
Researchers have successfully demonstrated a method to read carbonized ancient scrolls without unrolling them using X-ray technology that detects lead-based ink.
Live updates
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Lead-based ink may reveal hidden text on scorched Herculaneum scrolls
Researchers have found that lead-based ink used in ancient scrolls can be detected using X-ray computed tomography, potentially unlocking thousands of texts from Herculaneum destroyed by Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. The method involves burning papyrus scrolls under controlled conditions and then using X-rays to read the writing without unfolding them. This technique could help read lost Greek and Roman texts from Herculaneum.
Why it matters
The Herculaneum scrolls, buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, are still intact but fragile. Hundreds of papyrus scrolls were found in Herculaneum, but they are black, brittle, and could crumble if opened. The discovery of lead in ancient ink offers a new way to read these scrolls without damaging them.
What is confirmed
- The Herculaneum scrolls were buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
- The scrolls are black, brittle, and could crumble if opened.
- Lead-based ink used in ancient scrolls can be detected using X-ray computed tomography.
- The method involves burning papyrus scrolls under controlled conditions and then using X-rays to read the writing without unfolding them.
What to watch next
- Successful application of this method to an original ancient scroll from Herculaneum
- Further research on the effects of lead-based ink on the readability of ancient texts
- Plans for large-scale digitization of Herculaneum scrolls using this technology
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (19)
- CNN — How lead-based ink may reveal hidden text on scorched Herculaneum scrolls
- Gizmodo — A Volcano Toasted This Scroll 2,000 Years Ago. Here's How Scientists Read It Without Ever Opening It
- ScienceAlert — Scientists Burned Their Own Scrolls. Then The Hidden Writing Lit Up.
- ScienceDaily — Scientists burned their own scrolls to unlock a 2,000-year-old mystery
- Chemical & Engineering News — Reading 2000-year-old scrolls without unfurling them
- en.wikipedia.org — Lead - Wikipedia
- www.epa.gov — Learn About Lead - US EPA
- www.floridahealth.gov — Lead - Florida Department of Health
- www.epa.gov — Lead | US EPA
- www.chemistrylearner.com — Lead Facts, Symbol, Discovery, Properties, Uses
- archive.cdc.gov — Lead (Pb) Toxicty: What is Lead? | Environmental Medicine | ATSDR
- www.niehs.nih.gov — Lead | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
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