If I could go back in time, I would travel back 1,800 years to the area around the Dead Sea. Recently scientists reported that they were able to reveal the contents of a badly burned scroll found in a holy ark from that time period and area. The Ein Gedi scroll had been so badly burned that it is amazing it even survived the massive fire that had raged in the area. Looking at pictures of the scroll, it just looks like a burnt piece of charcoal or wood taken out of a campfire (I would never have recognized it as a burnt scroll). It existed mostly as a relic, to be safely guarded by the Israeli Antiquities Authority. Forget about ever unrolling it and reading the contents. That is, until recently. Using x-ray scans and a special computer program, the team was able to reconstruct (virtually unroll, as they termed it) the scroll and then translate it- making it available for all the world to see. They reconstructed an image of what the scroll would look like had it been unfurled. This is also the first time that scientists were able to decipher more than just a few letters or words from a damaged text, they were able to decipher the entire scroll.
I would tell the people of that time period, about this amazing feat and that the message in the scroll is not lost- it just took 1,800 years before someone could recover it. I like to think that they would find it reassuring just how long-lasting a papyrus scroll can be and that the legacy of their written texts can live on and not be lost over time. I would tell them about how we thoroughly we study ancient texts and just how much interest there is in the subject matter.
I would regale them with stories about how we now have the possibility to augment reading and texts with technology (even if we are actually nowhere near using it to its full potential yet). I would tell them about how once-inaccessible damaged texts were now being given a second chance, via imaging technologies such as CT scans and x-rays combined with the use of special computer programs to help visualize and make sense of the scans and images. I would tell them how easily I can access texts in all different languages, from many different time periods, from all over the world- all from home! Oh the wonder! If I could not find the text in my own language, I could if I wanted to, translate it using Google translate. When I read a book on my iPad, I can look up definitions of words I do not understand or terms I wish to know more about. This would all help contextualize how the imaging technologies for reading damaged texts have evolved. We are curious by nature and will use technology to augment our curiosity and improve on experiences.
As for the future of books and reading, hopefully publishers will realize the full potential of reading on devices such as iPads. We saw a glimpse of this in class with books such as the Alice in Wonderland and Al Gore books. It’ll be interesting to see if they let authors and designers creativity reign free. It will also be interesting to see as new technologies develop, more damaged texts being recovered. The reason the above-mentioned project was a success was because the ink used to write on the scroll had metal in it, making it easy to see on the scans. Carbon-based inks do not stand out as well on scans but as technologies improve more texts will be resurrected, hopefully. It will be interesting to see these technologies develop and what else can be recovered.
Greshko, Michael. “Computers Decipher Burnt Scroll Found in Ancient Holy Ark.” National Geographic. Last modified September 21, 2016. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/computers-decipher-ancient-hebrew-ein-gedi-scroll-bible-archaeology
Powell, Devin. “1,500 Year Old Text Has Been Digitally Resurrected From a Hebrew Scroll.” Smithsonian.com. Last modified July 24, 2015. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/computers-decipher-ancient-hebrew-ein-gedi-scroll-bible-archaeology/
What a great choice! I'd heard before about scientists and archaeologists using x-ray to read parts of scrolls but never would have thought to reassure those ancient authors that their work could still survive. I wonder how much people 1800 years ago actually thought about whether or how much their writing would survive in the very very distant future.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because it came around full circle and I was like there is no way this blog post will be readable/even exist (?) 1800 years from now- it's kind of just floating around out there in the ether that is the internet
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting! I wonder if people who lived 1800 years ago would have even been able to fathom the potential for this kind of technology. I wonder, at the time, what the most advanced type of technology there was and was potentially ground breaking, as using x-rays and computer programs to salvage old/damaged texts is for us.
ReplyDeleteLove this thought Pauline! When we think about these ancient texts, it's easy to forget that there were people behind them - it's often hard to conceptualize these makers when they're making is so different from what we know now. I think this touches on bringing the "human" element back into the circuit of book history and how this is so important.
ReplyDelete