Advantage of terahertz radiation versus X-ray to detect hidden organic materials in sealed vessels

Terahertz imaging and conventional X-ray have been used to investigate a sealed Ancient Egyptian jar preserved at the Museum of Aquitaine (France). Terahertz radiation revealed an unknown content that could not have been visualized by X-ray. By comparison with a model object, we concluded that this content was composed of organic materials explaining their relative radiolucency. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.