A veritable revolution has occurred in papyrology – the study of ancient literature written on papyrus: scientists have managed to read ancient scrolls preserved in the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius. Thanks to X-ray technology, researchers have managed to decipher letters, and occasional words, mostly written in Greek, and include a large amount of work by Greek Epicurean philosopher and epigrammatist Philodemus.

According to D. Delattre, B. Seales, Mocella and Ferrero publication in Nature Communications, "for the first time X-ray phase-contrast tomography can reveal various letters hidden inside the precious papyri without unrolling them. This attempt opens up new opportunities to read many Herculaneum papyri, which are still rolled up, thus enhancing our knowledge of ancient Greek literature and philosophy."