Archaeologists employ new techniques to decipher ancient inscriptions

Researchers in Austria and the Faroe Islands are utilizing diverse technological methods to preserve and decipher historical artifacts.

In Graz, a team from the University of Graz and TU Graz is working to make approximately 200 Roman stones from the Universalmuseum Joanneum legible again. Many inscriptions were obscured by weathering or damage from being reused as building materials. The team employs UV light to reveal hidden pigments or dirt in carvings, infrared photography for thin stones, and thermal imaging—heating stones to 60 degrees Celsius—to detect surface irregularities that indicate lost lettering. The project also includes on-site deciphering in the Hartberg and Murau districts.

Simultaneously, archaeologists in Sandur, Faroe Islands, have discovered a rare runestone within the remains of an ancient building. The Faroese National Museum suggests the site may have been a medieval prayer house or chapel, based on its east-west orientation and the discovery of religious items, including a small statue of the Virgin Mary and an oil lamp. A runologist is expected to assist in deciphering the characters to provide further insight into the region's religious history.