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From invisibility to readability: Recovering the ink of Herculaneum.


ABSTRACT: The noninvasive digital restoration of ancient texts written in carbon black ink and hidden inside artifacts has proven elusive, even with advanced imaging techniques like x-ray-based micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). This paper identifies a crucial mistaken assumption: that micro-CT data fails to capture any information representing the presence of carbon ink. Instead, we show new experiments indicating a subtle but detectable signature from carbon ink in micro-CT. We demonstrate a new computational approach that captures, enhances, and makes visible the characteristic signature created by carbon ink in micro-CT. This previously "unseen" evidence of carbon inks, which can now successfully be made visible, is a discovery that can lead directly to the noninvasive digital recovery of the lost texts of Herculaneum.

SUBMITTER: Parker CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6505748 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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From invisibility to readability: Recovering the ink of Herculaneum.

Parker Clifford Seth CS   Parsons Stephen S   Bandy Jack J   Chapman Christy C   Coppens Frederik F   Seales William Brent WB  

PloS one 20190508 5


The noninvasive digital restoration of ancient texts written in carbon black ink and hidden inside artifacts has proven elusive, even with advanced imaging techniques like x-ray-based micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). This paper identifies a crucial mistaken assumption: that micro-CT data fails to capture any information representing the presence of carbon ink. Instead, we show new experiments indicating a subtle but detectable signature from carbon ink in micro-CT. We demonstrate a new comp  ...[more]

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