Ancient papyrus scroll. This scroll was found in the library of the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, Italy. The Roman villa was owned by Julius Caesar's father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus. Upon its excavation, 1800 papyrus scrolls were found, carbonised and preserved by volcanic ash from the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD. When rolled, like this one, the scrolls resemble wooden objects. Some have been unrolled, and are found to mostly contain writings by Greek authors. They are held in the Office of Papyri in Italy's National Library, Naples.