A 500-year-old copy of Homer’s Odyssey featured strange handwritten notes in an unknown language. Italian enthusiasts Daniele Metilli and Giulia Accetta determined that the notes were a peculiar type of shorthand invented by Jean Coulon de Thévénot.

Only the latest technological advancements and full data access allowed for the discovery to happen. However, the shorthand itself proved to be much more interesting than its meaning: it was just a French translation from Greek.