Scientists Plan High-Tech Imaging to Unravel an Enigmatic Illustration’s Secrets

Quick Smiles:

• A missing page from the legendary Archimedes Palimpsest surfaces after decades.
• Experts plan X-ray scans to reveal hidden ancient text beneath an illustration.
• This discovery revives a 1,500-year-old mathematical treasure with epic history.

A French researcher, Victor Gysembergh from CNRS, identified the long-lost leaf from Archimedes’ treatise On the Sphere and the Cylinder at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Blois.

The 1,500-year-old parchment holds Propositions 39 to 41, matching 1910 photographs, with one side overlaid by Greek prayers and diagrams, the other by a 20th-century Prophet Daniel illustration.

Soon, Gysembergh’s team will use X-ray imaging to uncover the text hidden under the illustration, advancing study of this unique codex.

Originally from a 10th-century compilation possibly by Isidore of Miletus, the palimpsest survived Constantinople’s fall, reuse as religious scripture, and turbulent 20th-century journeys before most pages reached the Walters Art Museum.

Celebrate this heartwarming blend of history, science, and perseverance—share the joy of ancient wisdom resurfacing!

Source