Three years ago, a research team at the University of Pisa decided to decipher the Herculaneum Scrolls using a new technology known as the «bionic eye». The scrolls were discovered in the 18th century, and many scholars have tried to restore them. However, most of these historical documents could not be read due to their poor condition (which can be seen in the photo).
Mount Vesuvius destroyed 1,800 scrolls in Herculaneum during the eruption in 79 AD, which also buried Pompeii. The eruption turned the scrolls into coal, and researchers have been trying to read the remains for several centuries.
Archaeologists found the Herculaneum Scrolls in the «Villa of the Papyrus», which belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. He owned the only classical library that survived the Greco-Roman period. The papyri are believed to have contained works by Sophocles, Epicurus, and Aristotle. The loss of these scrolls is almost as important as the works destroyed by the great fire in the Library of Alexandria.
At the National Library of Naples, papyrologist Graziano Ranocchia of the University of Pisa announced the encouraging preliminary results of his project «Greek Schools». The «Bionic Eye» allowed his research team to read about 1000 words from the history of the Academy of Philodemus of Gadara, the Epicurean poet and philosopher. The scientists penetrated the layers of carbon using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and infrared hyperspectral imaging techniques.
OCT technology reproduces high-resolution cross-sectional images. Infrared hyperspectral imaging has a variety of subsets from near to mid and far. Simply put, it can reveal hidden details of an object that are invisible to the naked eye. These methods brought to the surface a 2000-year-old text.
Researchers believe they have identified Plato’s burial site. According to the findings, he is buried in a private area in the garden of the Academy, near the Sanctuary of the Muses. The Roman dictator Sulla destroyed Plato’s Academy in 86 BC, but archaeologists rediscovered it in the 20th century. The site is now open to the public, and archaeologists have thoroughly explored it, but as it turns out, there is always more to discover.
«The text also tells us about Plato’s last night. He had a high fever and was disturbed by the music playing», — says Ranocchia.
In addition, it turned out that Plato was sold as a slave on the island of Aegina in 404 BC, when the Spartans conquered the island, or after the death of Socrates. This contradicts previous scholarly beliefs that he was sold in 387 BC in Syracuse, Sicily. The research project will last until 2026, with «Bionic Eye» penetrating previously inaccessible layers.
Source: Ansa.it