Highlighting and solving analytical problems for hunting down hidden information from ancient papyri by surface techniques

Knowledge evolves based on past societies, often by studying cultural heritage objects, particularly ancient papyri. To achieve this information, Physico-chemical analysis of the papyri supports and inks is of concern for understanding variations in their chemical composition, structural relationships, and evolution over time. This review appraises at a glance the most relevant analytical characteristics of the main surface spectroscopic techniques, particularly those providing atomic/elemental and molecular information. In addition, this work highlights the analytical problems usually found in analysing papyri and their tentative overcoming using surface and subsurface analysis spectroscopies. Finely, we cover the practical vibrational characterisation of papyri.