Séminaire / Seminar - Jean-Paul Itié - The magic scroll of the future Ampus museum of writing

Vendredi 31 janvier 2025 à 11 h.

IMPMC - Sorbonne Université - 4 place Jussieu - 75005 Paris - Barre 22-23, 4e étage, salle 401

Jean-Paul ITIE, Synchrotron SOLEIL

The magic scroll belongs to the collection of the future “Musée des écritures” in Ampus (Var, France). A few engraved characters can be observed on the outside of the roll. Due to the corrosion of the metal, it is impossible to unroll it physically without damage.
To read the scroll non-invasively, an initial tomographic study was performed on the PSICHÉ beamline. Due to the unexpectedly strong absorption of the metal, we were forced to increase the photon energy to the maximum available 120 keV in pink beam mode and develop a modified acquisition strategy. The metal is lead, confirmed by fluorescence measurements performed at the PUMA beamline. These reveal flakes of copper alloy on the surface of the scroll, indicating that it was probably stored in a bronze container, now lost.
A second beamtime in 2024 allowed the object to scanned completely, revealing that the roll is made up of two engraved sheets. A tomograph of the full axial length of the scroll (~45mm) was acquired using a helicoidal scanning acquisition. The scroll has been virtually unrolled using Python routines and visualized using Avizo software. The reconstruction shows that both faces of the metal foil are engraved with text. The engraved text has been identified as Mandean, revealing the origins of the artefact in Mesopotamia, and indicating its age as 3- 5th century CE. An initial translation of the start of the text indicates that the scroll is a protective amulet for a pregnant woman. The complete translation is in progress, and the latest results will be presented at the meeting.