Revealing text in a complexly rolled silver scroll from Jerash with computed tomography and advanced imaging software

Area of Science:

• Archaeology
• Digital Humanities
• Materials Science

Background:

• Magical amulets on papyri, lead, and silver were common in Antiquity for apotropaic purposes.
• Metal scrolls are difficult to unroll without damage, often rendering their texts unreadable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a methodology for digitally unfolding a tightly rolled silver scroll.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of preserving and deciphering ancient metal texts through digital means.

Main Methods:

• Digital unfolding using specialized software combined with linguistic expertise.
• Analysis of a mid-8th century CE silver scroll from Jerash, Jordan, inscribed with pseudo-Arabic and magical signs.

Main Results:

• Successful digital unfolding of the silver scroll, revealing 17 lines of text and magical signs.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of digital unfolding for complexly folded metal scrolls.

Conclusions:

• Digital unfolding is a viable technique for deciphering fragile ancient metal scrolls.
• This approach preserves historical artifacts and provides valuable insights into cultural and linguistic practices.