Publication

Virtual reading of a large ancient handwritten science book

Giorgio Margaritondo, Frédéric Kaplan, Alessandra Patera, Fauzia Albertin, Marco Stampanoni
2016
Journal Articles

Abstract

We present a fundamental development step of a new technique to read and digitize ancient handwritten documents. Chemical analysis by x-ray fluorescence and x-ray tomography enabled us to decipher words and drawings from inside a closed, 200-pages 18 th century handwritten book. The ink chemistry is essential: tomographic reading is feasible thanks to the iron present in ancient inks (iron gall) over one millennium – whereas carbon or organic inks do not provide sufficient x-ray contrast. The results presented are a key progress towards the ultimate goal of the technique: non-invasive reading of fragile and/or unopenable documents.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/c496f3db-e986-43f4-ab7b-f7410c98e616

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Giorgio Margaritondo, Frédéric Kaplan, Alessandra Patera, Fauzia Albertin, Marco Stampanoni
2016
Journal Articles

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/c496f3db-e986-43f4-ab7b-f7410c98e616

About this result

Related concepts (23)

Iron gall ink

Iron gall ink (also known as common ink, standard ink, oak gall ink or iron gall nut ink) is a purple-black or brown-black ink made from iron salts and tannic acids from vegetable sources. It was the standard ink formulation used in Europe for the 1400-year period between the 5th and 19th centuries, remained in widespread use well into the 20th century, and is still sold today. The ink was traditionally prepared by adding some iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4) to a solution of tannic acid, but any iron ion donor can be used.

X-ray detector

X-ray detectors are devices used to measure the flux, spatial distribution, spectrum, and/or other properties of X-rays. Detectors can be divided into two major categories: imaging detectors (such as photographic plates and X-ray film (photographic film), now mostly replaced by various digitizing devices like s or flat panel detectors) and dose measurement devices (such as ionization chambers, Geiger counters, and dosimeters used to measure the local radiation exposure, dose, and/or dose rate, for example, for verifying that radiation protection equipment and procedures are effective on an ongoing basis).

Book

A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or s, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. It can also be a handwritten or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers. The technical term for this physical arrangement is codex (plural, codices). In the history of hand-held physical supports for extended written compositions or records, the codex replaces its predecessor, the scroll.

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