Ancient Parchments: Structural Diagnostics and Visualization of Textual Fragments of Manuscripts—A Natural-Science Approach

Abstract

The analytical diagnostics of art objects and items of cultural value have become increasingly sought for in modern interdisciplinary studies. Within the natural-science approach, a manuscript is considered as a physical object consisting of materials of two types. The first type comprises various substrates for writing (papyrus, paper, parchment, palm leaves), and the second type includes writing materials (soot ink, iron gall ink, or red lead ink). Textual fragments of ancient parchment manuscripts, including hidden textual fragments, are elementally mapped and digitally imaged with X-ray fluorescence. The collagen structure of the parchment and ink composition are diagnosed.