Papyri decoded

[Pindar]

Highly, highly cool. I wonder if that infra-red technique could be applied to other fragmentary sources? I'm thinking in particular of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hamadi texts... but just think how many "worthless" pieces of papyrus might turn out to be little goldmines. It's a killer to think how much has been thrown away that might now be decipherable.

I used to play DBM with one of the Classics professors at U of M. Maybe the lucky bastard is getting to play with the new material.

The infra-red technique is used on the Dead Sea Scrolls. That is what it was originally being used for. There is also a certain crossover of team researchers between the projects.

[Adrian II]

The infra-red technique is used on the Dead Sea Scrolls. That is what it was originally being used for. There is also a certain crossover of team researchers between the projects.

I found it a bit suspicious that neither the Oxford Classics Department, nor the Ashmolean or Brigham Young seemed to make a big deal out of their 'sensational breakthough'. Indeed, some phone calls and scientific articles later I realised that the whole thing may not be as sensational as The Independent presented it, and that the infra-red method has been in use for quite some time. The fuss seems to have been inspired by recent improvements in the method.

[Pindar]

I found it a bit suspicious that neither the Oxford Classics Department, nor the Ashmolean or Brigham Young seemed to make a big deal out of their 'sensational breakthough'. Indeed, some phone calls and scientific articles later I realised that the whole thing may not be as sensational as The Independent presented it, and that the infra-red method has been in use for quite some time. The fuss seems to have been inspired by recent improvements in the method.

That doesn't surprised me. Even with the infra-red help it will take a long long time.