Long-lost page of Archimedes’ writings rediscovered in France

Long-lost page of Archimedes’ writings rediscovered in France

By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron

The Archimedes Palimpsest is one of the treasures of antiquity. This medieval manuscript, dating to the 10th century, includes copies of the writings of Archimedes of Syracuse, a Greek mathematician and scientist who laid the foundation for modern calculus, geometry and basic physics. And now researchers have recovered one of the lost pages of the palimpsest, shedding more light on the great scientist’s mathematical thinking.

The page has been missing for years: we know that in 1906 a historian photographed much of the manuscript – but sometime later some of the pages mysteriously disappeared.

Researchers discovered the missing sheet, page 123, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Blois, according to the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). One side of the page contains a text from Archimedes’ treatise On the sphere and the cylindermuch of which is legible, according to the CNRS.

On supporting science journalism

If you like this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribes. By purchasing a subscription, you help secure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas that shape our world today.

The text on the other side of the page is less certain: what is written there is covered by a gilded illustration of the biblical prophet Daniel. Scientists hope to use X-rays and other advanced imaging methods to uncover the text beneath the drawing.

Archimedes lived around 250 BCE in Syracuse in ancient Greece and was among the world’s greatest thinkers, responsible for theories, experiments and inventions about mathematics, physics and engineering that still fascinate scientists today. (Legend has it that Archimedes died doing mathematics – at the hands of a Roman soldier while doing a calculation in the sand – although this has never been confirmed.)

The rest of the Archimedes Palimpsest is currently on display at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Md., although it is unclear whether the missing page will be added to the collection.

It’s time to stand up for science

If you liked this article, I would like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in its two-century history.

I have been one Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I see the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does for you too.

If you subscribe to Scientific Americanyou help ensure our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten laboratories across the United States; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself is too often not recognised.

In return, you receive important news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-see videos, challenging games, and the world of science’s best writing and reporting. You can even give someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science is important. I hope you will support us in that mission.