Raman Binary Mapping of Iron Age Ostracon in an Unknown Material Composition and High‐Fluorescence Setting—A Proof of Concept

The textual evidence from ancient Judah is mainly limited to ostraca, ink‐on‐clay inscriptions. Their facsimiles (binary depictions) are indispensable for further analysis. Previous attempts at mechanizing the creation of facsimiles have been problematic. Here, we present a proof of concept of objective binary image acquisition, via Raman mapping. Our method is based on a new peak detection transform, handling the challenging fluorescence of the clay, and circumventing preparatory ink composition analysis. A sequence of binary mappings (signifying the peaks) is created for each wavelength; their legibility reflects the prominence of Raman lines. Applied to a biblical‐period ostracon, the method exhibits high statistical significance.