Why researchers made their own model Herculaneum scrolls

A team of researchers created modern papyrus scrolls, charred them to mimic ancient ones, and tested a method for finding scrolls with lead-based ink. This should speed up the decipherment of more than 600 scrolls from Herculaneum as part of the Vesuvius Challenge.

• Model scrolls burned in a high-temperature furnace to imitate originals
• Ink was mixed with varying concentrations of lead nitrate for calibration
• 3D X-ray showed letters 'like a Christmas tree'
• Vesuvius Challenge has already paid out the $700,000 grand prize