It is good practice that fragile objects are not lent to every PhD student. All the more important is that one team of researchers is allowed high-end non-destructive measurements, and the results are made available to everybody. This is done with ancient Egyptian stuff that may well be even more fragile.

Measurements will start with photography under various lighting, e.g. X-rays, and from various angles. This may allow us to distinguish between erasures (with a knife) and spots of dirt or colour. Once we know the results, the space for guesswork is more limited.

Dating is important, but what is even more important is the question what happened in what sequence, and why. The very idea of "silencing the cuckoo" appeals to some modern mindset, not to be transposed to a time before the 16th century without rock-solid proof.

Long ago, someone quipped "Egyptology has the advantage that our imagination is not limited by too many facts." That was before the Rosetta Stone.