Scientists Re-Created the Herculaneum Scrolls. They Found a Clue to Decoding Hidden Text
Researchers used CT scans and lead detection to decipher text in recreated scrolls, a method that could speed reading of more than 600 unopened papyri.
- Researchers published a study in PLoS ONE last Wednesday, demonstrating they can decipher ancient, charred scrolls by detecting lead in the ink, offering a new pathway to read long-lost ancient scrolls from Herculaneum.
- Charred during the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the Herculaneum scrolls are extremely difficult to read because standard CT scans struggle to distinguish carbon-based ink from the carbonized papyrus.
- To test their lead-detection hypothesis, researchers created replica scrolls with lead-infused ink, using X-ray tomography at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, to reconstruct readable text.
- This discovery helps identify which of the more than 600 unopened scrolls are the best candidates for noninvasive virtual unwrapping, providing a crucial tool to prioritize future restoration efforts.
- The Vesuvius Challenge, winner of the 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair, continues virtually unwrapping scrolls; computer scientist Brent Seales noted "most scholars believe we've only scratched the surface" as many artifacts remain heavily deformed.
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Scientists re-created the Herculaneum scrolls. They found a clue to decoding hidden text
By Taylor Nicioli, CNN (CNN) — Charred to a crisp during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in AD 79, hundreds of papyrus scrolls lie tucked away unread in Italy’s National Library of Naples. The majority of these carbonized artifacts, known as the Herculaneum scrolls, are so fragile that they can’t be physically unrolled. Now, researchers and citizen
Watch scientists decipher burnt scrolls without unrolling them
Nature, Published online: 22 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02920-8By making and burning their own papyrus, researchers have come up with a method that might help to read glowing text from unopened scrolls from Herculaneum.
A new scientific study, published in the journal PLOS One, could significantly speed up and facilitate the deciphering of hundreds of ancient papyri from Herculaneum, which were left unread and charred after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
Researchers have discovered that lead paints shine in X-rays, facilitating the reading of burnt papyrus by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
To do this, the researchers did not have to physically unfold the scroll — it was virtually “unfolded” using X-ray tomography, computer vision, and modern algorithms.
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