All articles tagged with #lead ink
Researchers have demonstrated that lead in ancient ink can be detected via X-ray imaging, allowing scientists to virtually unroll and read carbonized scrolls from Herculaneum without physically opening them. This method, tested on modern replicas, offers a non-invasive way to decipher the only intact library from antiquity.
Researchers created burned papyrus scrolls using lead-containing ink and demonstrated that neutron and X-ray tomography can detect the ink in rolled scrolls, enabling virtual unrolling to read the inscriptions without physically unwrapping them—potentially unlocking thousands of ancient texts from Herculaneum.
Researchers recreated carbonized Herculaneum scrolls using inks with varying lead content and found that X-ray imaging can detect leaded ink more readily than nonmetal ink, enabling AI to read the hidden text. The team scanned replicas with X-ray tomography at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and showed that lead provides a strong signal to identify readable passages, potentially helping prioritize real scrolls for noninvasive unrolling among the 600+ unopened scrolls in Naples, advancing decipherment efforts tied to the Vesuvius Challenge.
Researchers behind the Vesuvius Challenge validated a screening method by creating model Herculaneum papyri with varying lead-based inks, carbonizing them to mimic the originals, then using CT/X-ray imaging and AI to identify strong lead-ink signatures. A handheld XRF scanner can quickly flag the most promising scrolls for deeper analysis, potentially accelerating decipherment of the ancient texts.