When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, it buried the Roman town of Herculaneum under a thick layer of volcanic ash. Villa excavations in the mid-eighteenth century revealed a library filled with hundreds of carbonized papyrus scrolls. For centuries, attempts to unroll these fragile documents resulted in their disintegration. Recently, however, researchers have utilized non-invasive imaging techniques to read the scrolls without physically touching them.
Using high-energy X-ray phase-contrast tomography, scientists can map the minute differences in thickness and texture of the carbonized ink compared to the carbonized paper. ____________ By translating these digital scans into three-dimensional models, researchers are beginning to read words that have been locked away for nearly two millennia.
The writer wants to add a sentence at the underlined portion to highlight the physical similarity between the ink and the scrolls, illustrating why traditional imaging methods fail. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?
- ASince the ink was carbon-based and chemically identical to the charred papyrus; traditional X-rays could not distinguish the writing.
- BThe ink was carbon-based, it was chemically identical to the charred papyrus, this made it impossible for traditional X-rays to distinguish the text.
- Because the ink was carbon-based—chemically identical to the charred papyrus itself—traditional X-rays could not distinguish between the writing and the background.Answer
- DAlthough the scrolls were housed in a magnificent villa that once belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law, they are now kept in Naples.