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Archimedes' Palimpsest: A Discovery Beneath Prayers
In 1998, a medieval manuscript was sold at auction for $2 million. This 10th-century parchment, originally copied in Constantinople, contained treatises by Archimedes beneath prayers added in the 12th century. The original texts, erased to reuse the material, were revealed in 2007 using X-rays, which exposed the Greek lines hidden under later prayers. The parchment had been scraped and rewritten twice before being acquired by a French collector in 1920, after passing through Jerusalem. Among the rediscovered works were The Method, where Archimedes explained his discoveries by weighing geometric shapes, and the Stomachion, recognized as the oldest known mathematical puzzle. This palimpsest is the only surviving copy of three of Archimedes' works.
Source: culturesciencesphysique.ens-lyon.fr
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