Ancient Egyptian papyri: unlocking secrets to the history of writing

该项目旨在研究古埃及纸莎草纸及其墨水的化学成分，以识别抄写者，日期文本，检测伪造，匹配碎片文本，并阐明环境和技术变化。从公元前2600年到公元1000年，纸莎草纸和碳基墨水是古代地中海世界的主要书写材料，但由于秘密挖掘和文物贸易导致的来源和日期不确定，限制了我们对它们的了解。通过对书写技术、抄写身份、年代和真实性提供新的见解，非破坏性和廉价的分析将为从埃及到罗马的古代文化中的环境、技术和社会文化变化提供新的理解。

This project aims to investigate the chemical composition of papyri from ancient Egypt and their inks to identify scribes, date texts, detect forgeries, match fragmentary texts, and illuminate environmental and technological change. Papyrus and carbon-based ink were the primary writing materials in the ancient Mediterranean world from 2600 BCE to 1000 CE, but the uncertain provenance and date caused by clandestine excavation and the antiquities trade limits our understanding of them. The non-destructive and inexpensive analysis will provide new understanding of environmental, technological, and socio-cultural change in ancient cultures from Egypt to Rome by providing new insights into writing technology, scribal identity, dating, and authenticity.