The Monk Who Erased Archimedes: How a Particle Accelerator is Unraveling History
The Archimedes Palimpsest sits under plexiglass at the Field Museum in Chicago, as seen in a 1999 photo. A particle accelerator is being used to decipher parts of the 174-page text that have not yet been revealed through other technologies.Beth A. Keiser / AP
In a story that bridges ancient genius, medieval necessity, and cutting-edge technology, the long-lost writings of Archimedes, one of history's greatest mathematicians, are being revealed through the marvels of modern science. Astonishingly, these groundbreaking works were hidden for centuries beneath the prayers of a Christian monk who, in the Middle Ages, erased and repurposed the original text to create a prayer book.
This incredible rediscovery is being spearheaded by a team of scientists and historians using focused X-rays from a particle accelerator, uncovering secrets that lay dormant for nearly a millennium.
Pages from the Archimedes Palimpsest. Photograph: AP
The Hidden Legacy of Archimedes
Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer, lived in the 3rd century BCE and left behind a legacy of intellectual achievements that continue to inspire modern science and engineering. Among his contributions are foundational principles in mathematics, physics, and engineering. However, much of his work was lost over time, with only fragments surviving through copies and translations.
One such fragment is the Archimedes Palimpsest, a 174-page manuscript that was copied by a scribe in the 10th century CE from Archimedes' original scrolls. This rare document contained groundbreaking treatises, including “Method of Mechanical Theorems” and “On Floating Bodies”, where Archimedes explored mathematical theorems and principles of flotation and gravity.
Yet, by the 12th century, parchment—crafted from scraped and dried animal skins—was a scarce and valuable commodity. In an era when practical concerns often overrode intellectual preservation, a monk scraped away the text of Archimedes' treatises and reused the parchment to create a prayer book, thereby transforming priceless scientific heritage into a palimpsest—a twice-used manuscript.
The Monk’s Work Revisited
Fast forward to the 20th century: the Archimedes Palimpsest surfaced at auction in 1998 and was purchased by an anonymous collector for $2 million. Recognizing its historical significance, the collector loaned the artifact to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, where it became the focus of the Archimedes Palimpsest Project. This initiative aimed to uncover the hidden layers of text and diagrams through advanced imaging techniques.
For over two decades, scholars have worked tirelessly to reveal roughly 80% of the palimpsest’s contents using ultraviolet and infrared imaging, as well as digital processing techniques developed for medical and space research. Yet, some pages remained undeciphered—until now.
The Particle Accelerator Breakthrough
In 2004, Stanford physicist Uwe Bergmann had a groundbreaking idea: use the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) to detect the iron content in the ink of the hidden text. Unlike imaging techniques that rely on visible light, this method uses highly focused X-rays generated by electrons traveling at near-light speeds. The X-rays cause the iron in the ink to fluoresce, effectively illuminating the hidden text.
"Anything which contains iron will be shown, and anything that doesn't contain iron will not be shown," Bergmann explained. This technique allows scientists to peer beneath the overwritten layers and recover text that had been considered permanently erased.
What Lies Beneath: Archimedes’ Timeless Insights
So far, the Archimedes Palimpsest has yielded discoveries that deepen our understanding of ancient science. It contains the only known copies of “Method of Mechanical Theorems”, where Archimedes describes how mechanical experiments inspired his mathematical insights. This treatise is considered a precursor to integral calculus.
The palimpsest also includes the original Greek text of “On Floating Bodies,” where Archimedes explored the principles of buoyancy—work that laid the groundwork for modern fluid mechanics.
For historians and mathematicians, this manuscript is invaluable not only for its content but also for its diagrams. "It's the only one that contains diagrams that may bear any resemblance to the diagrams Archimedes himself drew in the sand in Syracuse 2,000 years ago," said William Noel, head of the Archimedes Palimpsest Project.
The Road Ahead
The particle accelerator has already unveiled three previously unread pages, and the remaining sections are expected to take another three to four years to decipher. Each newly uncovered passage offers a glimpse into Archimedes' unmatched brilliance and the ancient world’s intellectual pursuits.
As for the monk who erased the text, his actions, though frustrating to modern scholars, were born of necessity in a time when parchment was a precious resource. Ironically, his prayer book inadvertently preserved the text for posterity, allowing modern technology to resurrect Archimedes’ genius.
From Ancient Genius to Modern Marvels
The Archimedes Palimpsest is a testament to humanity’s enduring quest for knowledge. From the sands of Syracuse to the beams of a particle accelerator, the journey of Archimedes' writings is as extraordinary as the man himself. Thanks to cutting-edge science and the dedication of scholars, the lost works of this ancient luminary are finally seeing the light of day, reminding us of the fragile yet resilient nature of intellectual heritage.
