Progress over the past fifteen years in the digitization and analysis of text found in cultural objects (inscriptions, manuscripts, scrolls) has led this past year to a new and astonishing discovery. This talk will tell the story of emerging methods for imaging and analysis culminating in a personal account of the discovery, the people involved, and the technical approaches used.  The digitization of damaged objects supports a new era of collaboration and exploration that has enabled compelling new discoveries and solutions to long-standing problems.