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Title: An assessment of multimodal imaging of subsurface text in mummy cartonnage using surrogate papyrus phantoms

Journal Article · · Heritage Science
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [1];  [6];  [7];  [6];  [8];  [1];  [7];  [9];  [1];  [10];  [5];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [11] more »;  [1];  [6];  [9];  [12];  [13] « less
  1. Univ. College London (UCL), London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
  2. Univ. College London (UCL), London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Information Studies
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  4. Equipoise Imaging, LLC, Baltimore, MD (United States)
  5. Queen Mary Univ. of London, London (United Kingdom). Dental Physical Sciences, Inst. of Dentistry
  6. Univ. of Western Australia, Perth, WA (Australia). School of Physics
  7. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Dept. of Ophthalmology
  8. Univ. College London (UCL), London (United Kingdom). Faculty of Engineering Sciences
  9. College of Charleston, Charleston, SC (United States). Dept. of Geology and Environmental Geosciences; Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom). School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
  10. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom). Dept. of Classics and Ancient History
  11. Univ. College London (UCL), London (United Kingdom). Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
  12. RB Toth Associates LLC, Oakton, VA (United States)
  13. Univ. of Edinburgh, Scotland (United Kingdom). College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
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Ancient Egyptian mummies were often covered with an outer casing, panels and masks made from cartonnage: a lightweight material made from linen, plaster, and recycled papyrus held together with adhesive. Egyptologists, papyrologists, and historians aim to recover and read extant text on the papyrus contained within cartonnage layers, but some methods, such as dissolving mummy casings, are destructive. The use of an advanced range of different imaging modalities was investigated to test the feasibility of non-destructive approaches applied to multi-layered papyrus found in ancient Egyptian mummy cartonnage. Eight different techniques were compared by imaging four synthetic phantoms designed to provide robust, well-understood, yet relevant sample standards using modern papyrus and replica inks. The techniques include optical (multispectral imaging with reflection and transillumination, and optical coherence tomography), X-ray (X-ray fluorescence imaging, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray micro computed tomography and phase contrast X-ray) and terahertz-based approaches. Optical imaging techniques were able to detect inks on all four phantoms, but were unable to significantly penetrate papyrus. X-ray-based techniques were sensitive to iron-based inks with excellent penetration but were not able to detect carbon-based inks. However, using terahertz imaging, it was possible to detect carbon-based inks with good penetration but with less sensitivity to iron-based inks. The phantoms allowed reliable and repeatable tests to be made at multiple sites on three continents. Finally, the tests demonstrated that each imaging modality needs to be optimised for this particular application: it is, in general, not sufficient to repurpose an existing device without modification. Furthermore, it is likely that no single imaging technique will to be able to robustly detect and enable the reading of text within ancient Egyptian mummy cartonnage. However, by carefully selecting, optimising and combining techniques, text contained within these fragile and rare artefacts may eventually be open to non-destructive imaging, identification, and interpretation.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1427027
Journal Information:
Heritage Science, Vol. 6, Issue 1; ISSN 2050-7445
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 15 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (4)

Talbot-Lau x-ray phase-contrast setup for fast scanning of large samples journal March 2019
X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and chemical analysis (EDX and XRF) used in conjunction for cultural conservation: the case of the earliest scientifically described dinosaur Megalosaurus bucklandii journal October 2018
From invisibility to readability: Recovering the ink of Herculaneum journal May 2019
Talbot-Lau x-ray phase-contrast setup for fast scanning of large samples text January 2019

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Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Mummy cartonnage
Papyrus
Phantom
Surrogate
Heritage imaging