X-Ray Technique Allows Researchers To Read Scorched Herculaneum Scrolls

Sarah Benton Feitlinger
Sat, 21 Feb 2015 10:08:50 -0800

When Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it buried not only the city of Pompeii, but also the nearby resort town of Herculaneum. In 1752, an excavation team discovered a large number of papyrus scrolls inside an entombed Herculaneum villa. Though the exterior of the scrolls that were rolled up for storage are carbonized and resemble pieces of charred wood, the interior is remarkably well preserved.