Researchers Uncover Scribes of Ancient Pharaohs That Used Advanced Inks Containing Copper 2000 Years Ago

Table of Contents

Scientists have discovered ancient scribes who wrote with advanced inks made from copper roughly 2000 years ago.

Thomas Christiansen, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, and his team examined the inks at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The researchers looked at the ink's chemical composition using a combination of three methods: laboratory XRF point analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

The second group came from the Tebtunis Temple Library, which was the only well-known ancient Egyptian library that had made it through the centuries. The researchers chose samples from a vast number of papyrus manuscripts and fragments dating from the first to third centuries A.D.

Open the Youtube video

It was initially considered that the soot and charcoal produced during the process of extracting copper from ores could be used for ink.

Open the Youtube video

This made it impossible to create maps of ink signatures that were used to date and pinpoint the origins of papyri fragments of unknown origins.

Open the Youtube video

The team wanted to carry on with the study of the molecular make-up of the pigments and explore the inventive techniques the ancient Egyptians used.