Virtual unrolling and deciphering of Herculaneum papyri by X-ray phase-contrast tomography

Researchers have successfully decoded the largest portion of Greek text ever detected inside unopened Herculaneum papyri, using X-ray phase-contrast tomography and advanced virtual-unrolling algorithms. This breakthrough reveals previously hidden writings from a 1st-century BC Epicurean philosopher, Philodemus of Gadara, preserved in carbonized scrolls at the 'Villa dei Papiri' in Herculaneum since the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption. The non-destructive technique achieved unprecedented spatial resolution and contrast, bringing to light philosophical treatises that had remained inaccessible for nearly 2000 years.

Bukreeva, I., Mittone, A., Bravin, A., Festa, G., Alessandrelli, M., Coan, P., Formoso, V., Agostino, R. G., Giocondo, M., Ciuchi, F., Fratini, M., Massimi, L., Lamarra, A., Andreani, C., Bartolino, R., Gigli, G., Ranocchia, G., & Cedola, A. (2016). Virtual unrolling and deciphering of Herculaneum papyri by X-ray phase-contrast tomography. Scientific Reports, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep27227