Archaeological finds are literally replete with messages from the past. Often, ancient texts are literally "in front of" everyone, but sometimes they are invisible to the naked eye. Modern technologies - X-rays, computed tomography, multispectral imaging, and robots - make it possible to see these long-lost works again after centuries.
1. The Selden Code
For decades, researchers have been convinced that the Selden Code contains hidden messages. Preserved for nearly 500 years under a layer of plaster and chalk, this pre-colonial Mexican manuscript is made from leather strips covered in a plaster-like material. In 2016, thanks to the hyperspectral imaging technique, researchers were finally able to detect hidden text on the surface of the Mixtec manuscript, as well as images on its bottom.
This technique works by capturing high-resolution images across the entire wavelength spectrum. The process of scanning the manuscript is still ongoing. Until it is completed, researchers are reluctant to comment on hidden content.
2. Message in Lincoln's watch
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On April 13, 1861, Irish immigrant and watchmaker Jonathan Dillon engraved a hidden message on Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. He was hired by Washington, DC-based MW Galt & Co to repair the president's watch on the very day that Federal forces fired at Fort Sumter, sparking the outbreak of the US Civil War. His message remained hidden until it was discovered by the Smithsonian in 2009.
Dillon's inscription, which he engraved on the watch, read: “The first shot sounded. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a president who will at least try. Dillon never met the president, and Lincoln never saw the message hidden in his chronometer.
3. Silver scroll
In 2014, archaeologists discovered a small amulet while excavating the city of Jerash in Jordan. This place was once home to Greeks, Romans and then Arabs. However, a devastating earthquake in 749 A. D. destroyed the settlement. This amulet was a silver scroll 5 centimeters long. After removing the corrosion on the outside of the gracefully rolled silver plate, it turned out that there was some text inside it, but since the plate was very fragile and only 0.01 centimeters thick, it was not possible to unfold it.
In 2015, researchers used computed tomography technology to read a scroll. They found 17 lines of text, each containing five letters. The first line contained part of the spell, written in Greek. The subsequent lines could not be deciphered. Linguists believe they are written in "pseudo-Arabic" or some "secret magic language."
4. Novgorod Code
In 2000, archaeologists conducting excavations in Russian Novgorod discovered the earliest known book of Rus. Made from three wax-coated wooden planks, the Novgorod Codex contains so much hidden text that it has been called a hyper-palimpsest (a palimpsest is a manuscript that is scraped off text for reuse). The text dating from the 11th century consisted of two psalms.
When wax was removed from the codex for preservation, restorers realized that the wood retained traces of an earlier text, including a number of previously unknown Slavic chronicles. It is surprisingly difficult to recreate these hidden texts. Often, barely preserved traces of the text are indistinguishable from cracks and other irregularities in the wood. The code has also been reused several times and has many layers of hidden text.
5. Message from Mussolini
In 2016, historians reconstructed a hidden message beneath the foundation of the Mussolini Obelisk in Rome. The parchment text, which chronicles the rise of fascism to power and Mussolini's "exploits", was buried when the obelisk was erected in 1932, and was simply forgotten over the next decades. Although the original document is still buried under the 300-ton monument, the Fori Mussolini Codex was reconstructed from three little-known sources from libraries around Rome. According to researchers, this text was intended for people in the distant future.
6. Zakynthos Code
In 1861, researchers first discovered a hidden text in the Zakynthian Codex. This codex is a palimpsest (a recycled manuscript from which the previous text was stripped). The Zakynthian Codex originally contained most of the Gospel of Luke, dating from the seventh century. In XIII, the earlier text was removed to make room for the Evangeliarium, a collection of Gospel passages.
In 1984, the University of Cambridge posted the mysterious work. The code has now been bought by the University of Cambridge for £ 1.1 million, which is going to use multispectral analysis to decode the hidden text on all 176 parchment pages.
7. Robot explorer
In 2011, archaeologists used the Jedi robot to retrieve images of ancient hidden messages in the Great Pyramid of Giza that had gone unnoticed for 4,500 years. The robot returned with images of previously unknown hieroglyphs in red. Researchers believe that these hidden messages may shed light on the mysterious narrow corridors in the Great Pyramid. For the first time, two similar tunnels were discovered in 1872 and they led from the Tsar's Chamber out into the open air. However, other such holes lead out of the Queen's Chamber and disappear into the depths of the pyramid.
Rudolf Gantenbrink was the first to explore multiple tunnels using robots in 1993. Nine years later, a second team returned with robots to explore the southern mines. Both expeditions ended when the robot reached the mysterious slabs with copper pins that blocked the passage. During the last expedition, the robot managed to "push" the micro-camera through a small hole in the slab, behind which was a hidden room. What lies next is unknown.
8. The texts of Euripides
A team of researchers from the universities of Bologna and Göttingen discovered a hidden text (a Greek drama of the 5th century BC) in the pages of a prophetic book of the Old Testament (13th century). This work is attributed to Euripides, one of the most prominent playwrights of Athens, who wrote more than 92 performances in his life, but only 19 of them survived. Euripides's works became the cornerstone of education in the Hellenistic era, and his influence on modern drama is enormous. The hidden text was discovered using multispectral imaging technology in 2013. The text with the ancient drama was washed off the pages, and another was written on top. Interestingly, the manuscript contains not only the work of Euripides, but also many ancient annotations.
9.2000 year old Jewish graffiti
In 2015, builders uncovered an ancient hidden graffiti from the Second Temple era in Jerusalem. It was found in a mikvah (ablution tank) found in a cave under a modern school. The hidden inscriptions were written in Aramaic in mud and ash, so they are very difficult to read. Although the inscriptions have not yet been deciphered, some scholars suggest that they are someone's names. Also, in addition to the inscriptions, dozens of images of trees, boats and menorahs can be found on the graffiti.
10. Medieval library
With the advent of the printing press in the 15th century, handwritten manuscripts lost their relevance. Bookbinders began to destroy or reuse these early manuscripts. They often used ancient paper to create the covers of more modern printed books. Macro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry allowed researchers to locate these medieval fragments of text without the need to completely destroy the bindings. This not only made hidden messages visible, but also made them readable. Many of the hidden fragments date from the 14th and 15th centuries. However, researchers hope to find a medieval Bible.
