# What in the palimpsest remains unread or unidentified? · Archimedes Palimpsest > Four answers have been proposed. Much of what remains is physically lost to scraping, mould and missing leaves and cannot be recovered by any… leads… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4VA52VA/what-in-the-palimpsest-remains-unread-or-unidentified Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:56:52+00:00 --- **0** # What in the palimpsest remains unread or unidentified? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·Part of [Did the imaging programme recover the erased Archimedes text wherever the parchment survives?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N43W11MX/did-the-imaging-programme-recover-the-erased-archimedes-text)·4 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: much of what remains is physically lost to scraping, mould and missing leaves and cannot be recovered by any…** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Four answers have been proposed. Much of what remains is physically lost to scraping, mould and missing leaves and cannot be recovered by any… leads, with evidence 1 for: partly supported by its tests. Three are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters The imaging was aimed at Archimedes. Two of the other erased manuscripts in the book are still unidentified, and three Archimedes leaves are missing⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CT7MVAM07NC/the-archimedes-palimpsest-other-texts)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CT7MTV00J8Z/the-archimedes-palimpsest-history). ## Answers 4 [**Much of what remains is physically lost to scraping, mould and missing leaves and cannot be recovered by any…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/answers/ANS0CT7NAPT062R/much-of-what-remains-is-physically-lost-to-scraping-mould) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 1 for Most likely [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/answers/ANS0CT7NB6E3BXA/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The remaining texts need new imaging (wider spectral range or full-page XRF) because the 2000 to 2008 data do…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/answers/ANS0CT7NAF05R5D/the-remaining-texts-need-new-imaging-wider-spectral-range-or) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The unidentified undertexts and uncertain passages can be read from the existing image stacks with newer…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/answers/ANS0CT7N9ZC58BE/the-unidentified-undertexts-and-uncertain-passages-can-be) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: 1 for Still possible ## History 1. 2008[Toth & Emery: the release keeps every band as a registered image, so new processing can be applied without new imaging.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CT7MTBC0B1K/archimedes-palimpsest-digital-release-readme-document)For: The unidentified undertexts and uncertain passages can be read from the existing image stacks with newer… 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4VA52VA/what-in-the-palimpsest-remains-unread-or-unidentified%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4VA52VA/what-in-the-palimpsest-remains-unread-or-unidentified%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4VA52VA/what-in-the-palimpsest-remains-unread-or-unidentified%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4VA52VA/what-in-the-palimpsest-remains-unread-or-unidentified%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4VA52VA/what-in-the-palimpsest-remains-unread-or-unidentified%23add-source) Where it fits Archimedes Palimpsest [**Did the imaging programme recover the erased Archimedes text wherever the parchment survives?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N43W11MX/did-the-imaging-programme-recover-the-erased-archimedes-text)Key question · Multispectral imaging and X-ray fluorescence together recovered the Archimedes undertext on every surviving… [Is the 2011 transcription of the Archimedes text reliable?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4BP1E80/is-the-2011-transcription-of-the-archimedes-text-reliable)Most likely · the Netz and Wilson transcription is reliable apart from minor points of notation [What did the recovered text change about Archimedes' mathematics?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N4KG76TA/what-did-the-recovered-text-change-about-archimedes)Most likely · newly read passages of The Method show Archimedes treating infinitely many objects as completed wholes and… **What in the palimpsest remains unread or unidentified?** You're here · much of what remains is physically lost to scraping, mould and missing leaves and cannot be recovered by any… [ Ask a question under this one ] Under this one [Who wrote the commentary on Aristotle's Categories found in the palimpsest?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest/questions/QST0CT7N5344YNH/who-wrote-the-commentary-on-aristotles-categories-found-in)Most likely · the commentary is by Porphyry and preserves fragments of the earlier commentator Boethus of Sidon