X-Rays Reveal Contents of Ancient Scrolls Buried by Mt. Vesuvius

An ancient scroll being scanned. Image courtesy University of Kentucky Scientists are proving you can judge a “book” without ever cracking open the cover. And by book, we mean a 2,000-year-old scroll buried after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Over 260 years ago, archaeologists discovered hundreds of ancient scrolls left behind in an ancient library in Herculaneum, which was covered in volcanic material after the infamous eruption in 79 A.D. Unfortunately, these charred scrolls are next to impossible to open without destroying them, leaving their contents largely a mystery. But a new imaging technique allows researchers to see what’s written inside, without ever opening the delicate artifacts.