Palimpsest comes from the Greek word palimpsestos meaning "scraped again". It is a manuscript that has another text written over it. Around 1200 A.D., a Christian monk turned Archimedes' book into a new prayer book. In October 1998, it was sold for $2 million at an auction. You can watch the documentary that we saw in class about the story again here: part 1 , part 2 and part 3.
Since 1998, a group of scientists have been working on the recovery of the writings of the greatest mathematician of the ancient era. You can find up to date information here.
As well, you can find a digital copy of the recovered Archamides Palimpsest after the prayers are removed on google books.
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