Scientists May Have Uncovered a ‘Holy Grail’ for Deciphering the Lost Scrolls of Herculaneum—By Burning Modern Papyrus

Researchers are experimenting with burning modern papyrus to recover writings from the Herculaneum scrolls, which were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago. The experiment involves creating simulated scrolls with known contents, allowing scientists to test how different techniques can detect writing after the papyrus has been carbonized. The scrolls were inscribed with lines from science fiction media and biblical passages, and the researchers used traditional ink and reed pens to replicate the original inscriptions. The study aims to improve methods for identifying readable Herculaneum scrolls, as many are unreadable due to carbonization and fragility.

• "The value in this project is practically unquantifiable," said Berkeley archaeology graduate student Leah Packard-Grams. "The stakes are the largest in the history of Greek literature."
• "With lead in the ink, you would get a huge friggin’ signature, so you really need to be looking for scrolls with lead in them," Seiler said.
• "They’re having problems reading a lot of them because of the low contrast of carbon ink on carbon paper. We’re relatively certain that if they start searching for lead, or they let us search for lead, it will help this whole process. This is the Holy Grail."

The technique could allow lead-containing ink to be identified without relying on sophisticated scanning equipment. Portable X-ray fluorescence instruments could help screen scrolls for traces of lead, potentially identifying promising candidates for more detailed scanning. The study suggests that lead in the ink could be a key indicator for identifying scrolls suitable for X-ray imaging. The research team also used X-ray techniques to identify lead in ink on first-century Egyptian papyri, hoping to find additional examples among the Herculaneum collection. The paper, "A Model Carbonized Papyrus Scroll Opens a Novel Path to Identifying Readable Scrolls of the Herculaneum Library," appeared in PLOS One on September 16, 2026.

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