Lead in ancient ink could unlock charred Herculaneum scrolls

Researchers at Berkeley SETI found that lead in ancient ink absorbs X-rays up to 25 times more strongly than carbonized papyrus, allowing scrolls from Herculaneum to be read without unrolling. The results were published Sept. 16 in PLOS ONE.

• Lead-based ink absorbs X-rays 25 times more than carbonized papyrus
• A handheld XRF scanner can quickly screen scrolls for lead ink
• The Villa of the Papyri library holds about 1,800 scrolls and fragments
• Findings published Sept. 16 in the journal PLOS ONE