#ancient scrolls

[blueiskewl]

Ancient Herculaneum Scrolls Blackened by Vesuvius are now Readable  

X-ray scans can just tease out letters on the warped documents from a library at Herculaneum.

The lavish villa sat overlooking the Bay of Naples, offering bright ocean views to the well-heeled Romans who came from across the empire to study. The estate's library was stocked with texts by prominent thinkers of the day, in particular a wealth of volumes by the philosopher Philodemus, an instructor of the poet Virgil.

But the seaside library also sat in the shadow of a volcano that was about to make terrible history.

The 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius is most famous for burying Pompeii, spectacularly preserving many artifacts—and residents—in that once bustling town south of Naples. The tumbling clouds of ash also entombed the nearby resort of Herculaneum, which is filled with its own wonders. During excavations there in 1752, diggers found a villa containing bundles of rolled scrolls, carbonized by the intense heat of the pyroclastic flows and preserved under layers of cement-like rock. Further digs showed that the scrolls were part of an extensive library, earning the structure the name Villa of the Papyri.

Blackened and warped by the volcanic event, the roughly 1,800 scrolls found so far have been a challenge to read. Some could be mechanically unrolled, but hundreds remain too fragile to make the attempt, looking like nothing more than clubs of charcoal. Now, more than 200 years later, archaeologists examining two of the scrolls have found a way to peer inside them with x-rays and read text that has been lost since antiquity.

"Anybody who focuses on the ancient world is always going to be excited to get even one paragraph, one chapter, more," says Roger Macfarlane, a classicist at Brigham Young University in Utah. "The prospect of getting hundreds of books more is staggering."

Most of the scrolls that have been unwrapped so far are Epicurean philosophical texts written by Philodemus—prose and poetry that had been lost to modern scholars until the library was found. Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who developed a school of thought in the third century B.C. that promoted pleasure as the main goal of life, but in the form of living modestly, foregoing fear of the afterlife and learning about the natural world. Born in the first century B.C. in what is now Jordan, Philodemus studied at the Epicurean school in Athens and became a prominent teacher and interpreter of the philosopher's ideas.

Modern scholars debate whether the scrolls were part of Philodemus' personal collection dating to his time period, or whether they were mostly copies made in the first century A.D. Figuring out their exact origins will be no small feat—in addition to the volcano, mechanical or chemical techniques for opening the scrolls did their share of damage, sometimes breaking the delicate objects into fragments or destroying them outright. And once a page was unveiled, readability suffered.

"Ironically, when someone opened up a scroll, they would write on a separate sheet what they could read, like a facsimile, and the original ink, once exposed to air, would start to fade," says Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky who specializes in digital imaging. What's more, the brute-force techniques usually left some pages stuck together, trapping hidden layers and their precious contents.

From 2007 to 2012, Seales collaborated with Daniel Delattre at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris on a project to scan scrolls in the collections of the Institut de France—former treasures of Napoleon Bonaparte, who received them as a gift from the King of Naples in 1802. Micro-CT scans of two rolled scrolls revealed their interior structure—a mass of delicate whorls akin to a fingerprint. From that data the team estimated that the scrolls would be between 36 and 49 feet long if they could be fully unwound. But those scans weren't sensitive enough to detect any lettering.

The trouble is that papyri at the time were written using a carbon-based ink, making it especially hard to digitally tease out the words on the carbonized scrolls. Traditional methods like CT scans blast a target with x-rays and look for patterns created as different materials absorb the radiation—this works very well when scanning for dense bone inside soft tissue (or for peering inside a famous violin), but the method fails at discerning carbon ink on blackened scrolls.

Now a team led by Vito Mocella of the Italian National Research Council has shown for the first time that it is possible to see letters in rolled scrolls using a twist on CT scanning called x-ray phase-contrast tomography, or XPCT. Mocella, Delattre and their colleagues obtained permission to take a fragment from an opened scroll and a whole rolled scroll from the Paris institute to the European Synchrotron in Grenoble. The particle collider was able to produce the high-energy beam of x-rays needed for the scans.

Rather than looking for absorption patterns, XPCT captures changes in the phase of the x-rays. The waves of x-rays move at different speeds as they pass through materials of various density. In medical imaging, rays moving through an air-filled organ like a lung travel faster then those penetrating thick muscle, creating contrast in the resulting images. Crucially, the carbon-based ink on the scrolls didn't soak into the papyrus—it sits on top of the fibers. The microscopic relief of a letter on the page proved to be just enough to create a noticeable phase contrast.

Reporting today in the journal Nature Communications, Mocella and his team show that they were able to make out two previously unreadable sequences of capital letters from a hidden layer of the unrolled scroll fragment. The team interprets them as Greek words: ΠΙΠΤΟΙΕ, meaning "would fall", and ΕΙΠΟΙ, meaning "would say". Even more exciting for scholars, the team was able to pick out writing on the still-rolled scroll, eventually finding all 24 letters of the Greek alphabet at various points on the tightly bundled document.

Even though the current scans are mostly a proof of concept, the work suggests that there will soon be a way to read the full works on the rolled scrolls, the team says. "We plan to improve the technique," says Mocella. "Next spring we have an allowance to spend more time at the Grenoble synchrotron, where we can test a number of approaches and try to discern the exact chemical composition of the ink. That will help us improve the energy setting of the beam for our scan."

"With the text now accessible by virtue of specialized images, we have the prospect of going inside the rolled scrolls, and that's really exciting," says Macfarlane. Seales agrees: "Their work is absolutely crucial, and I am delighted to see a way forward using phase contrast."

Seales is currently working on ways to help make sense of future scans. With support from the National Science Foundation and Google, Seales is developing software that can sort through the jumbled letters and figure out where they belong on the scroll. The program should be able to lump letters into words and fit words into passages. "It turns out there are grains of sand sprinkled all the way through the scrolls," says Seales. "You can see them twinkling in the scans, and that constellation is fixed." Using the sand grains like guide stars, the finished software should be able to orient the letters on the whorled pages and line up multiple scans to verify the imagery.

The projects offer hope for further excavations of the Herculaneum library. "They stopped excavating at some point for various reasons, and one was, Why should we keep pulling things out if they are so hard to read?" says Seales. But many believe there is a lower "wing" of the villa's collection still buried, and it may contain more 1st-century Latin texts, perhaps even early Christian writings that would offer new clues to Biblical times.

"Statistically speaking, if you open up a new scroll of papyrus from Herculaneum, it's most likely going to be a text from Philodemus," says MacFarlane. "But I'm more interested in the Latin ones, so I would not be unhappy at all to get more Latin texts that are not all banged up."

For Mocella, being able to read even one more scroll is crucial for understanding the library and the workings of a classical school of philosophy. "Regardless of the individual text, the library is a unique cultural treasure, as it is the only ancient library to survive almost entire together with its books," he says. "It is the library as whole that confers the status of exceptionality." The scanning method could also be useful for texts beyond the Roman world, says Seales. Medieval books often cannibalized older texts to use as binding, and scans could help uncover interesting tidbits without ruining the preserved works. Also, letters and documents from the ill-fated Franklin expedition to the Northwest Passage in the 19th century have been recovered but are proving difficult to open without doing damage. "All that material could benefit from non-invasive treatment," says Seales.

By Victoria Jaggard.

#Ancient Herculaneum Scrolls Blackened by Vesuvius are now Readable #library at Herculaneum #Mount Vesuvius #The Villa of the Papyri #archeology #archeolgst #ancient scrolls #ancient artifacts #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #roman history #roman empire #roman literature #long reads

[occvltswim]

不動明王 (Fudō Myōō), one of the Five Guardian Kings (絹本著色五大尊像]) from Daigo-ji, Kyoto, Japan. Hanging scroll, 193.9 cm x 126.2 cm. Colour on silk. The scrolls have been designated as National Treasure of Japan in the category paintings.

#fudo myoo #acala #kylian mbappe #japan #ancient scrolls #paintings #buddha #buddhism

[mooniace]

Part 16.

#quotev #aesthetic #SHHHHHHHHHHHHH #hair #butterfly #faerie wings #doggo #food #ancient scrolls #dress #books #mushroom #cute mushrooms #part 16

[king7artist]

Goddesses of Commerce and Prophecy

#king7 #king art #king ocs #artists on tumblr #digital art #digital illustration #original character #character design #procreate #gold art #goddess #ancient scrolls #sewing

[voidwithintheform]

Main art blog: @signanothername

This blog is solely for reblogs, from art to silly posts, if you’d like to see my own art follow my main

Fandom reblogs are gonna vary to match my own interests, i will include the main fandom tag so you’d filter it out if you’re not interested

These fandoms will include but are not limited to:

-jjba

-transformers

-rottmnt

-fnaf

-bendy

———

Tags

Ogs beloveds - for og art reblogs

Art museum - for fandom art reblogs

Ancient scrolls - for fandom fic/writing reblogs

Fandom shenanigans - for fandom reblogs that are not art/writing (analysis posts, rambles, opinions, polls, lore, etc)

Depths of hell(site) - for hellsite buried treasures

Info to behold - for posts I find useful (educational, art references, mental/physical health related)

Silliness unleashed - for silly posts

For purposes - any post that isn’t under the above categories

Forever spoken - for any text posts i might make on here (which might be slim to none but who knows)

———

The frequency of reblogs aren’t going to be much, as i do not scroll on here much

#ogs beloveds #art museum #ancient scrolls #fandom shenanigans #depths of hell(site) #info to behold #silliness unleashed #for purposes #forever spoken

[flokali]

Boothill and a corrupt USB with a “love virus”… and you’re the poor, unfortunate engineer forced to deal with him in this state, except his little metal heart has gotten too attached to you and the feeling of overbearing longing that you make him feel… on the bright side, your wanted posters look lovely together ♥︎

#yandere honkai #yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr #yandere boothill #boothill #yandere male #yandere concept #yandere x reader #yandere male x reader #boothill x reader #honkai star rail x reader #star rail x reader #i’ll elaborate on this i promise #my hsr brainrot is too strong rn - and sunday… sunday i have plans for you my boy #send star rail requests - i have a sparkle one that’s eating my brain but i can handle more please please please #๋࣭. ancient scrolls

[aesthenaeum]

ballroom

/ˈbôlˌro͞om,ˈbôlˌro͝om/ noun a large room used for dancing.

#ancient scrolls #originality #refined sugar #pagan princette #pink sugar

[theribbajack]

"Both of you, faithless fools who would dare to take up arms against the king of earth and sky!"

The words "Zonai Ganondorf" entered my head and I haven't been sane since. Perhaps in the Zonai version of the legend, the warlord "Gannon" sought after the secret stones, and the incarnation of Hylia draconified herself to stop him alongside the Ancient Hero.

#my art #totk #ganondorf #ganon #zonai #totk spoilers #tears of the kingdom #demon king ganondorf #calamity ganon #botw #breath of the wild #tloz #legend of zelda #at this point zelda lore is like elder scrolls lore #ten contradictory versions of a myth and they're all true at the same time #i want to draw the ancient hero but actually zonai instead of a catboy or whatever that was we got #i really wanted to give him the boar snout here since the demon dragon has it #but it just didn't work and always looked silly #his neck pendant did not intentionally look like a bokoblin but it totally does whoops

[esportopedia]

Thanks to GOG, you can easily play modern Daggerfall.

Thanks to GOG, you can easily play modern Daggerfall.

The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall from 1996 is definitely a classic, but as usual with classics, Nowadays, it can be a challenge to enjoy the game properly.. Either you’ll have to cover it with multiple layers of differently downloadable modes to get a modern gaming experience, or you’ll have to settle for a number of compromises and limitations. Or you will have to buy some kind of remake or…

View On WordPress

#ancient scrolls #bethesda #Bethesda Game Studios #Bethesda Softworks #community #computer games #console games #criticism #editorial staff #Free #game news #game ratings #game reviews #game show #gop #grade #How do you #indian tv #let&039;s play #live broadcasts #native american #news #Nintendo Switch #PC #PlayStation 4 #prefix 5 #review #RPG #Television #The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

[bedrock-to-buildheight]

Back on my high effort joke bullshit

#bedrock’s #ultrakill #sisyphus prime #minos prime #psych there’s some deeper meaning re: ancient greek male nudity + trans minos #maybe one day I’ll do a proper dive #also fun fact the pattern on his himation is a version of the cretan stitch! #which is a little dubious because (as far as I know) it came from minoan embroidery #which is distinct from ancient greek? #and minos was the king of crete in GREEK MYTHOLOGY #which is. younger than minoan civilization. #he’s possibly younger than the ancient civilization that was named after him (fun!) #anyways I’ll let you get back to your scrolling that has been Walker’s Wiki-Walking Hour #nvm I misremembered the cretan stitch was not from the minoan #still! the intersection of history and myth is just. augh #funfl fact did u know the archeologist who discovered the Palace of Minos was also named Minos

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Ancient nords levitating rocks - it appears they may be preparing it for transportation to construct their temples.

Concept art for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Art by Adam Adamowicz

#adam adamowicz #art #the elder scrolls #concept art #tes #skyrim #nord #nordic ruin #nord ruin #levitation #ancient ruins #ancient #fantasy #magicka

[hircinesanters]

Listening to Skyrim OST in game: ugh whatever I’ve heard this a bajillion times😒😒

Listening to Skyrim OST outside of the game:

#a reel of someone playing Ancient Stomes on a dulcimer came up in my feed and I straight up almost started weeping #skyrim #tesblr #the elder scrolls #tes v #game ost #I think maybe it’s much more emotional for me bc I’ve moved and that game just reminds me of playing it at home or smth idk #moving houses is weird

[the-sunlit-earth]

#you see when a 4000 year old devil god loves an ancient dead warlord very much.. #he will wait an eternity for said warlord to be reborn. and then send them Wedding Dreams :) #Dagoth Ur to his Sleepers: 'You guys don't think I'm coming on too strong do you?' #elder scrolls #tes #skyrim #morrowind #dunmer #Neloth #Talvas Fathryon #Tel Mithryn crew #Nerevoryn #apologies to those whose Nerevarines would never dream of smooching Lord Dagoth XD #or wearing Indoril armor to the fight #tesblr #my art #my posts

[randomrottmntscreenshots]

I come back

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #splinter #raph #the ancient art of ninja hide and seek #cray-cray-anime #submitter tags: #I'd say like #70% of my screenshots at least are sillies #i scroll far and wide #to not see these up yet #so come here to give em to ya #look at him #silly stressed dad #(also for quality idk bro i just screenshot while i watch a video/episode) #also keep thinking of jacko lantern for that 2nd screenshot lol #and raph makes an appearance too! #silly lil leaf boi #rottmnt raph #cray-cray-anime post #submission

[the-puffinry]

#tagamemnon #bit ill so lazily scrolling thru twt pt 2 #ancient greece #ancient rome #late bronze age #early iron age #resources

[flokali]

Argenti who believes you (player) are Idrila… the being who’d saved him countless of times, the one who protects him in times of peril. The reason he only meets you in near death situation is due to how the universe works, determined to only let you meet those who adore you once they’re at their weakest and need your help to return to their true form. Every time a new soul comes to you, arriving at the Express’ doors, you welcome them and work tirelessly to give them strength unattainable through other means.

Albeit not knowing how you truly look like, he can see your silhouette in his mind’s eye. He knows the broad brush strokes that compose your face, even your eye color and hair texture immortalized in his memory. He knows deep down that there will never be any being that can rival the beauty of his Lord.

Argenti, who once finally home with you, can finally rest easy knowing that you are with him – watching over him and giving him strength in your own way. However, he still cannot touch you, he hasn’t been able to clearly see your face yet. His journey isn’t done, now he must find a way to bring you to him so he can spread the word of your arrival and power while adoring you in his arms.

#yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr #hsrsau #honkai star rail x reader #agrenti #self aware honkai star rail #self aware au #yandere argenti #argenti x reader #male yandere #yandere x reader #yandere honkai #yandere star rail #๋࣭. ancient scrolls #many thots #ohemgee!! i forgot to tell you i actually managed to get him #idk how but he came >< hehhe #i also got navia and diluc !!! my luck has been p good w/ hoyo games #but… not so much in other games (whb cough cough)