UC Berkeley researchers develop method to read carbonized ancient papyrus

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a method to read carbonized papyrus scrolls from the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, which were preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Physical unrolling of these ancient relics risks irreversible destruction, and traditional X-ray computed tomography has struggled to distinguish carbon-based ink from the charred papyrus due to identical densities.

A study published in PLOS ONE, led by Douglas Seiler, proposes using the chemical signature of lead to create radiological contrast. By simulating historical conditions with Egyptian papyrus and soot-based inks doped with precise concentrations of lead nitrate, the team found that lead absorbs radiation up to 25 times more than carbonized papyrus. This allows alphabetical traces to stand out clearly in 3D reconstructions. Even minimal concentrations of 25 micrograms of lead per square centimeter were sufficient to produce sharp readings without image artifacts.