Uncovering Ancient Secrets: X-ray Tech Saves Hidden History

Ancient clay tablets, known as cuneiform tablets, were the go-to writing material in the Near East from around 3000 BCE to 100 CE. These clay tablets were super tough for daily use. But when they were buried for thousands of years, they started to get damaged by salts. Salts on these tablets cause a big problem. Temperature and humidity changes make the salts move to the surface, damaging the tablets and hiding the writing. This makes it really hard to read the text. Usually, people use stuff like firing or chemicals like tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to fix the tablets. But these methods mess up the tablets on a molecular level. This means the tablets lose some of their historical value. It is a bit like trying to save a book that got soaked in water by drying it out in the sun. The book dries, but it might fall apart. Imagine being able to look at something without touching it. Scientists are using a cool technique that does just that. They use a special type of X-ray called synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF). This method lets them read the text without hurting the tablets. The tablets are able to keep their integrity.This new method is important because it lets us read the tablets without changing them. We can learn from them now and in the future. Plus, in the future, more scientists can look at the tablets without harming them. Some of the tablets had writing that could not be read. But using this method, the writing was able to be read and understood. This shows how powerful this method is. Another benefit is that the tablets can be studied in the future. Future scientists will have the same chance to study the tablets as if they are looking at them for the first time! The tablets are not damaged. There is a lot of history to learn from the tablets and not just from this one set of tablets. This special X-ray technique could be used to read other tablets and artifacts. It is a game changer. This method will be very useful in the years to come. There are too many artifacts that have not been read or studied because scientists are afraid to damage them. But now, they do not have to worry.