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Did the imaging programme recover the erased Archimedes text wherever the parchment survives?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·3 answers·0·0 following
Answered: Multispectral imaging and X-ray fluorescence together recovered the Archimedes undertext on every surviving…Passed its tests and review.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. Multispectral imaging and X-ray fluorescence together recovered the Archimedes undertext on every surviving… leads, with evidence 3 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible. Of the three narrower questions under it, none is answered yet.

Why it matters

This was the project's question and the reason the case is treated as solved. The data are open, so the answer can be checked leaf by leaf⁠[1]⁠[2].

Answers 3

Evidence: 3 for
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
None of these.
Failed a test; not refuted outright
Evidence: none yet
Disputed

History

  1. Toth & Emery: the release gives, for each folio, registered multiband images, pseudocolour renderings, XRF maps and…For: Multispectral imaging and X-ray fluorescence together recovered the Archimedes undertext on every surviving…
  2. Acerbi puts forward: the text was recovered except for passages in the gutter, under heavy mould or on badly damaged leaves, where…
  3. Acerbi: where folios were too damaged to give readable images, the edition uses Heiberg's photographs or scans of his…For: The text was recovered except for passages in the gutter, under heavy mould or on badly damaged leaves, where…
  4. Asked on this site
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