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Lost Leaf of the Archimedes Palimpsest Identified in French Museum by CNRS

CNRS plans advanced imaging to recover erased text.

Overview

  • Researchers matched the Blois leaf to Heiberg’s 1906 photographs, confirming it as leaf 123 of the palimpsest.
  • The page preserves geometric diagrams and a passage from On the Sphere and the Cylinder beneath later prayer‑book writing.
  • The reverse shows a Prophet Daniel image reported to have been added in the 20th century to increase value, complicating recovery of the original script.
  • CNRS will use X‑ray fluorescence and multispectral methods over the next year to reveal hidden passages and reassess previously illegible pages.
  • Two leaves remain unlocated, and CNRS researcher Victor Gysembergh is credited with the discovery at the Musée des Beaux‑Arts in Blois.