Lasers uncover first icons of Saints Peter and Paul
JUN 24, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024444
Washington Post : The Vatican’s Sacred Archaeology commission has been using lasers to remove calcium carbonate that had accumulated for centuries on frescoes in underground burial chambers. Among the finds in Rome’s Santa Tecla catacombs are what appear to be the first icons of Saints Peter and Paul. A key advantage of using lasers rather than chisels is that lasers can be programmed to switch off when material other than white calcium carbonate appears in their firing line.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
