Jacob Michael LaManna

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Lead in ancient ink makes burned Herculaneum scrolls readable by X-ray

Built the X-ray imaging setup for the study

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.

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