From invisibility to readability: Recovering the ink of Herculaneum

A groundbreaking discovery challenges the long-held assumption that micro-CT imaging cannot detect carbon-based ink, paving the way for noninvasive digital recovery of lost texts from Herculaneum. Researchers demonstrated that carbon ink—previously deemed invisible in micro-CT scans—leaves a subtle yet detectable signature, which they successfully isolated and enhanced using novel computational techniques. This advancement offers a transformative approach to preserving and deciphering ancient writings without physical intervention, addressing a critical gap in the study of UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Herculaneum.

Parker, C. S., Parsons, S., Bandy, J., Chapman, C., Coppens, F., & Seales, W. B. (2019). From invisibility to readability: Recovering the ink of Herculaneum. Plos One, 14(5), e0215775. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215775