Researchers Develop Method to Identify Lead-Based Ink in Herculaneum Scrolls

New Screening Method for Ancient Scrolls

A team of researchers developed a new method to determine which of the 2,000-year-old Herculaneum scrolls contain lead-based ink. They created contemporary model papyrus scrolls, charred them to mimic the originals, and used these models to validate a screening technique. This process helps identify scrolls that are most likely to yield decipherable text through digital analysis.

The Vesuvius Challenge and Herculaneum Scrolls

The Vesuvius Challenge is an ongoing initiative combining digital unwrapping and crowdsourced machine learning to decipher the Herculaneum scrolls. These papyri were carbonized by pyroclastic flows during the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius, rendering them too fragile for physical unrolling. The new screening method provides a way to focus efforts on the most promising candidates within this collection.

Historical Context of the Scrolls

The Herculaneum scrolls were discovered in a palatial residence in Herculaneum, believed to be the personal library of an Epicurean philosopher named Philodemus. Excavated in the 1700s, the collection includes hundreds of scrolls, with a few opened fragments revealing Greek philosophical texts by Epicurus and Philodemus, as well as some Latin works. The extreme fragility of the remaining rolled-up scrolls has historically prevented their study.

Prior Deciphering Efforts

Brent Searles' lab at the University of Kentucky has been working on deciphering damaged scrolls for years, employing a "virtually unrolling" method. This technique was previously used in 2016 to open the En Gedi scroll, a charred lump of papyrus from an ancient synagogue, revealing verses from the book of Leviticus. The new ink-identification method complements these digital unwrapping efforts by guiding selection.