Douglas Seiler

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Proposing XRF-based triage of the Herculaneum collection

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE turned Herculaneum's papyrus library into brittle black lumps. Physical attempts to unroll the scrolls have destroyed many of them since they were found in 1752. Researchers have now shown a way to read the rest without opening them: lead in the ink.

Updated Sep 26