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.
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10 Articles
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.
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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