World's oldest map of the night sky is REVEALED after 2,000 years

"The goal is to recover as many of these coordinates as possible. And this will help us answer some of the biggest questions on the birth of science. Why did they start doing science 2,000 and more years ago? How did they get so good at it so fast? The coordinates we are finding are incredibly accurate for something that is done with the naked eye."

"In order to closely analyse the parchment, the researchers used an X-ray that can distinguish between different chemicals in a material without damaging it. While the original text contained ink with hints of calcium, the overwritten version used ink rich in iron - allowing the team to visually separate the two."

"This new scan that we started...line after line of text showed up in ancient Greek from the astronomical manuscript. The team have already identified the word for 'Aquarius' and descriptions of 'bright' stars within that constellation."

Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are using X-ray technology to recover an ancient star map created by Greek astronomer Hipparchus approximately 2,000 years ago. The map was hidden under a 6th-century medieval manuscript called the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, discovered at St Catherine's Monastery in Egypt. Medieval scribes reused expensive parchment by scraping away original ink and writing over it. By distinguishing between calcium-based ink from the original text and iron-rich ink from the overwritten version, scientists can separate the two layers without damage. The team has already identified constellation descriptions and star coordinates of remarkable accuracy for naked-eye observations, helping answer fundamental questions about the origins and rapid advancement of ancient science.

Read at Mail Online