UK to 'unroll' papyrus scrolls buried by Vesuvius [Kentucky prof has non-invasive scanning technique

Lexington Herald-Leader ^ | Tuesday, May. 19, 2009 | Jim Warren

[Elsie]

Is that over by Goblin Valley?

[Unam Sanctam]

These scrolls, about 3,000 years old,

Surely this should be 2,000 years old.

[Utah Binger]

Muddy Creek is right here. I am one mile from the site. Wife walks up there every day. Also the excavating on our property brought up a 12 inch geode that we haven't cracked open yet. We are situated on a Bentonite (clay) mine site.

The huge stone at the bottom left of the Tbird sign is the geode.

[Elsie]

The Muddy Creek I was thinking of is a canyon carver over in the Swell.

---

Here in central Indiana, it is FLAT! Scraped that way by the last ice sheet to push it’s way south.

As it came by, it brought gaZillions of broken rocks chunks from Canada and we now grow them in our farm fields. The farmers have collected all types of stuff over the years and have piled them in the corners of their lots. (it’s REALLY good for the aggregate business!)

I have made smaller ones as I’ve piled brush and logs on them to burn; spliting them by the heat.

In the southern portion of the state, eroded by the melted runoff, we have lots of geodes in the stream beds where they have collected.

[Ditter]

Fabulous! One of the most moving things I ever saw was at a display of things removed from the lava of this Vesuvius eruption. It was the shape of a persons body but made out of clear acrylic. They had found the hollowed out body shape that the lava formed around the body and filled it with liquid acrylic. You could see the contorted shape of the agonized person when they were burned to death by the lava. It made me cry.

[aruanan]

Fabulous! One of the most moving things I ever saw was at a display of things removed from the lava of this Vesuvius eruption. It was the shape of a persons body but made out of clear acrylic. They had found the hollowed out body shape that the lava formed around the body and filled it with liquid acrylic. You could see the contorted shape of the agonized person when they were burned to death by the lava.

It wasn't lava. It was ash. The death throes were caused by poison gases that swept down the mountain. Rapid burial by and solidification of the ash preserved the shapes of the dead and dying. The void was left by subsequent decomposition of the bodies. If lava had rolled over them, they would have been burned up almost immediately.

[Ditter]

Yes of course you are right, I remember now. The ash hardened into rock and left the cavities. Did you happen to see the exhibit? I saw it at the Museum of Fine Art Houston.

[aruanan]

Yes of course you are right, I remember now. The ash hardened into rock and left the cavities. Did you happen to see the exhibit? I saw it at the Museum of Fine Art Houston.

Unfortunately, I've seen only pictures in books. But everything must have happened very rapidly given the paroxysms preserved:

[aruanan]

In paragraph 4 of the article it says "10th century A.D."; I think this may be correct. Right?

Yes. Very few of these classics have any copies that date earlier than many centuries after their composition and about the largest number of copies of any of them is a handful. The major exception is the New Testament.

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 5/24/2009. Thanks again Mike Fieschko.

• Experts urge race against time to unearth last secrets of Herculaneum s lost library [2002]
• Herculean task for modern scholars - More on the Discovered Roman Literature being unearthed. [2002]
• Ancient Roman Villa May Hold World's Richest Literary Treasure [2002]
• Focus: The search for the lost library of Rome [2005]
• Focus: The search for the lost library of Rome [2005]
• New hope in hunt for Roman library [2005]
• Millionaire to fund dig for lost Roman library [Villa of the Papyri] [2005]
• Battle for the books of Herculaneum (1 of finest libraries of the ancient world, covered in Lava) [2005]
• Rare Ancient Wooden Throne Found in Herculaneum (Buried by Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius) [2007]
• Scientists use MRI at Kadlec to look at ancient Roman scrolls [2008]
• In search of Western civilisation's lost classics [2008]
• In search of Western civilisation's lost classics (Herculaneum) [2008]
• Unlocking the scrolls of Herculaneum [2013]
• X-ray technique 'reads' burnt Vesuvius scroll [2015]
• Metallic ink used in the Herculaneum scrolls [2016]