A new study conducted by European researchers has revealed that lead may have been used by the early Greeks, pushing back the date of the first use of metals in ink by approximately four to five hundred years and shedding hope on being able to read their contents. The findings stem from the analysis of ancient papyrus scrolls that originated from the town of Herculaneum, near Mount Vesuvius.
Before the dangers of lead where known, lead and other metals were used in ink for several hundred years with the purpose of improving color, binding and consistency. However, prior research pointed to the use of lead beginning around the fourth or fifth century A.D., with previous inks being carbon based. Now, the new research suggests that this may not be the case.
The team examined scrolls gathered from Herculaneum, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius back in 79 A.D. Hundreds of them were discovered by archaeologists in the 1700s, but many fell apart as researchers attempting to unfold them due to their being charred and covered by the volcanic event.
With new technology such as computerized tomography (CT) scanning, many researchers are attempting to decipher what is written on the scrolls without unrolling them. Although the new study also used CT scanning, it did so for a different reason: to reveal the makeup of the ink used.
Using an X-ray generated by a synchrotron, a type of particle accelerator, the team was able to examine two scroll fragments and uncover evidence of lead particles in the ink of both.
The team believes that the concentrations of the lead found in the ink were high enough that they were not the result of accidental introduction via lead in the water base or container used to hold it. In addition, given the high concentrations, the team believes that reading what is written in the scrolls is indeed possible using other technologies.
As of now, the exact dates of the scrolls are unknown, meaning they may have been written hundreds of years prior to their unearthing. Future studies will need to be conducted in order to determine if the date of the first use of metal in ink will be pushed back even further.
The findings were published in the March 21 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
