The Odyssey of Artifacts: Unraveling the Herculaneum Scrolls
February 4, 2015
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
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Guest Information
Episode Description
On January 20th, 2015 the New York Times published an exciting development in the research of the Herculaneum library’s carbonized papyrus scrolls. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius that decimated Pompeii in A.D. 79 also impacted Herculaneum. The super hot gases and ash from the eruption preserved the papyrus documents. Since their excavation in 1752, researchers have been trying to find a way to read the scrolls. This goal is finally becoming reality thanks to the work of Dr. Vito Mocella and his team at the Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems. With the use of a laser-like beam of X-rays they are able to pick up the very slight contrast between the carbonized papyrus fibers and the ancient ink. Today the Indy Team is pleased to have Dr. Vito Mocella and Dr. Richard Janko join us to talk about the the scrolls and their proverbial unraveling and translation.
Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology
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This show targets an audience interested in archaeology. It explores myths surrounding this exotic, often misunderstood field and acquaints listeners with the contemporary practice of unearthing the human past. Themes range from Dr. Schuldenrein’s own “Indiana Jones”-like adventures in the land of the Bible to his team’s archaeological forensics effort to unearth Kurdish mass graves in Iraq. That undertaking helped convict Saddam Hussein in 2006. Topical issues contribute to the evolution vs. creationism controversy based on updated fossil records and innovative DNA studies. An episode highlights the main funding source for archaeology in the U.S. (Hint: the oil and gas industry). Experts reveal the latest high-tech approaches to buried archaeological landscapes that provide clues to understanding climate change, past, present and future.
Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
Joseph Schuldenrein is president and senior scientist of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA) in Yonkers, New York. He has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University since 1996. His professional expertise is in geoarchaeology, a sub-discipline that introduces earth science techniques to traditional archaeological excavation. Joe has worked extensively across North America and the Old World. He received his doctorate in 1983 at the University of Chicago. Recent research in North America has concentrated on the urban archaeology of New York City and Native American landscapes of the Atlantic Coast. Joe’s projects in South Asia have ranged from Human Origins investigations to the beginnings of civilization of the Indus Valley. During the Iraq war Dr. Schuldenrein’s team helped direct a forensic archaeological mission in support of the Saddam Hussein prosecution. His newest venture is an assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites in war-torn Afghanistan (2011). Dr. Schuldenrein publishes widely in numerous archaeological and geological journals. He is a reviewer for American Antiquity, Geoarchaeology, and Quaternary Science Reviews. He has acted as Principal Investigator or Consulting Scientist for grants awarded by the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. Dr. Schuldenrein has been interviewed for PBS, as well as national and regional TV and radio outlets over the past 30 years.
