Palimpsest

A palimpsest is a manuscript page, scroll, or book that has been written on, scraped off, and used again. The word palimpsest comes from two Greek roots (palin + psEn) meaning "scraped again." Romans wrote on wax-coated tablets that could be reused, and a passing use of the rather bookish term "palimpsest" by Cicero seems to refer to this practice.

Alternate usage

The word palimpsest also refers to a plaque which has been turned around and engraved on what was originally the back side.

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In planetary astronomy, ancient lunar craters whose relief has disappeared from subequent volcanic outpourings, leaving only a "ghost" of a rim are also known as palimpsests. Icy surfaces of natural satellites like Callisto and Ganymede preserve hints of their history in these rings, where the crater's relief has been effaced by creep of the icy surface ("viscous relaxation").

Related Topics:
Planetary astronomy - Crater - Callisto - Ganymede

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