VIRTUAL UNFOLDING OF FOLDED PAPYRI

Abstract

One of the best sources of information about our cultural origin are written texts. Often, texts are hidden, sometimes erased, faded away, or written over, sometimes not easily accessible in rolled or folded documents. Due to recent improvements in sensitivity and resolution, spectacular disclosures of rolled hidden texts were possible by X-ray tomography, most of them made out of parchment. However, revealing text on folded manuscripts is even more challenging. Due to the fragile condition of fragments, manual unfolding is often too risky, as it can lead to the total loss of the document. X-ray tomography allows for virtual unfolding and enables non-destructive access to hidden texts. Here, the progress in virtual unfolding is reviewed, focusing on papyri from Elephantine Island near Aswan. The project is a part of the European Research Council’s starting grant ELEPHANTINE. Results on unfolding ancient papyrus packages from the papyrus collection of the Musée du Louvre and of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin are discussed.