In 2022 I noted the discovery of Hipparchus' Star Catalogue in the underlying text of the palimpsest Codex Climaci Rescriptus The manuscript is owned by the Green Collection and normally housed in the Museum of the Bible. This article reports that (some of?) it has been transferred to California for further efforts to recover the Hipparchus text.
Now, several pages of the manuscript are undergoing advanced scanning using a particle accelerator known as a synchrotron at Stanford University’s National Accelerator Laboratory in California. This technology produces ultra-precise X-rays by accelerating electrons to near-light speeds, allowing scientists to detect the chemical composition of different inks without causing any damage to the fragile pages. ...Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.Moving the manuscript required meticulous procedures. The pages were placed in custom frames within climate-controlled containers and handled manually to prevent damage. Even the lighting in the examination room was carefully adjusted to help preserve the ink.
Despite these efforts, reconstructing the complete star map remains a monumental task. Only eleven pages have been scanned so far, while the full manuscript spans approximately 200 pages scattered across collections and libraries around the world. International collaboration will be essential to gather and study the entire set.
Cross file under Syriac Watch, Palimpsests, and Lost Books.
On a related note, another page of the Archimedes Palimpsest has been recovered in France:
Lost page of the Archimedes Palimpsest identified in Blois, central France
PaleoJudaica posts on this manuscript are collected here.
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