The Conservation of the Archimedes Palimpsest

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Archimedes' Hidden Treasure   Archimedes Palimpsest   Leica MZ9.5

Abigail Quandt, the Walters's senior conservator of manuscripts and rare books, currently has custody of the palimpsest. Its pages are blotched with pale purple mold stains, and in places they are riddled with fine holes. "The book was stored in very damp conditions," says Ms. Quandt, who is documenting the condition of the book prior to disassembling it for imaging. "Mold caused great damage to the parchment and ink." Preserving the Archimedes manuscript could take years: the manuscript has to be completely disassembled, leaf by leaf. Then each leaf has to be stabilized, before the whole book is reassembled.