From damage to discovery via virtual unwrapping: Reading the scroll from En-Gedi

TLDR

Computer imaging techniques are widely used to preserve and share readable manuscripts, yet capturing writing locked within ancient, deteriorated documents presents a distinct challenge. The study aims to establish a new pathway for uncovering textual content hidden in damaged artifacts. The authors employ a software pipeline called virtual unwrapping to read textual artifacts noninvasively. Digital analysis of the fragile En‑Gedi scroll uncovered hidden writing on its disintegrating sheets, producing high‑quality, readable columns that enable serious critical textual analysis.

Abstract

Computer imaging techniques are commonly used to preserve and share readable manuscripts, but capturing writing locked away in ancient, deteriorated documents poses an entirely different challenge. This software pipeline-referred to as "virtual unwrapping"-allows textual artifacts to be read completely and noninvasively. The systematic digital analysis of the extremely fragile En-Gedi scroll (the oldest Pentateuchal scroll in Hebrew outside of the Dead Sea Scrolls) reveals the writing hidden on its untouchable, disintegrating sheets. Our approach for recovering substantial ink-based text from a damaged object results in readable columns at such high quality that serious critical textual analysis can occur. Hence, this work creates a new pathway for subsequent textual discoveries buried within the confines of damaged materials.