The Analytical Scientist / Issues / 2021 / Jan / Image of the Month: Scroll Scrutiny
Spectroscopy Forensics

Image of the Month: Scroll Scrutiny

Hyperspectral imaging unlocks the secrets of a severely degraded Jewish parchment

By Lauren Robertson 01/26/2021 1 min read

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Spectroscopic (FTIR and XRF) and hyperspectral imaging techniques have been used to uncover vital details about a severely degraded Jewish ritual parchment (1). The image above shows how different ink components behaved at various wavelengths, enabling researchers to conclude that both iron gall and carbon black inks had been used on the manuscript. As well as revealing the origin and historical context of the document, the multi-analytical approach could prove useful to future investigations of manuscripts whose text is lost due to extensive degradation and could even aid conservation efforts.

References

  1. IM Cortea et al., Front Mater (2020). DOI: 10.3389/fmats.2020.601339.

About the Author(s)

Lauren Robertson

By the time I finished my degree in Microbiology I had come to one conclusion – I did not want to work in a lab. Instead, I decided to move to the south of Spain to teach English. After two brilliant years, I realized that I missed science, and what I really enjoyed was communicating scientific ideas – whether that be to four-year-olds or mature professionals. On returning to England I landed a role in science writing and found it combined my passions perfectly. Now at Texere, I get to hone these skills every day by writing about the latest research in an exciting, creative way.

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