The most commonly used ink in antiquity was carbon-based, and the main element of carbonized papyrus is carbon, making conventional computed tomography (CT-scanning) of Herculaneum scrolls difficult. However, Roman and Greek inks containing metals have recently been identified in some papyri from Egypt, changing our understanding of ink technology in antiquity. This raises hope that some rolls can be virtually unrolled by CT-scanning. Here we present the results of a preliminary analysis, aimed at identifying scrolls whose ink contains metals.

The research for this publication was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy – EXC 2176 'Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures', project no. 390893796. The research was conducted within the scope of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at Universität Hamburg in collaboration with the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM).