Timothy Birdnow

The Shroud of Turin does indeed date to the time of Jesus, according to new reseach using a new technique. Previous dating using radiocarbon suggested the shroud dated to the Middle ages.

FTA:

The technique measures the natural aging of flax cellulose and converts it to time since manufacture.

The team studied eight small samples of fabric from the Shroud of Turin, putting them under an X-ray to uncover tiny details of the linen's structure and cellulose patterns.

Cellulose is made up of long chains of sugar molecules linked together that break over time, showing how long a garment or cloth has been around.

To date the shroud, the team used specific aging parameters, including temperature and humidity, which cause significant breakdown of cellulose.
The scientists obtained small samples of the shroud of Turin (left) and exposed it to Wide-Angle X-ray radiation to create an image of the linen sample (right) which was used for dating

The scientists obtained small samples of the shroud of Turin (left) and exposed it to Wide-Angle X-ray radiation to create an image of the linen sample (right) which was used for dating
What is the Shroud of Turin?

The Shroud of Turin is a 14-foot-long linen cloth with a faint image of a crucified man.

The image on the shroud is believed to reflect the story of Jesus' crucifixion, giving rise to the belief that the cloth is the burial shroud of Jesus himself.

The authenticity of the shroud has been frequently brought into question over the years but there are also many studies claiming to validate its origin.

It is considered to be one of the most intensely studied human artefacts in history.

Since it first emerged in 1354 Vatican authorities have repeatedly gone back and forth on whether it should be considered the true burial shroud.

The shroud is currently stored at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin but is only publicly displayed on special occasions.

Based on the amount of breakdown, the team determined that the shroud of Turin was likely kept at temperatures at about 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of around 55 percent for about 13 centuries before it arrived in Europe.

If it had been kept in different conditions, the aging would be different.

Researchers then compared the cellulose breakdown in the shroud to other linens found in Israel that date back to the first century.

'The data profiles were fully compatible with analogous measurements obtained on a linen sample whose dating, according to historical records, is 55-74 AD, found at Masada, Israel [Herod's famous fortress built on a limestone bedrock overlooking the Dead Sea],' reads the study published in the journal Heritage.

The team also compared the shroud with samples from linens manufactured between 1260 and 1390 AD, finding none were a match.

'To make the present result compatible with that of the 1988 radiocarbon test, the Shroud of Turn should have been conserved during its hypothetical seven centuries of life at a secular room temperature very close to the maximum values registered on the earth,' the study reads.

Lead author Dr Liberato De Caro said in a statement that the 1988 test should be deemed as incorrect because 'Fabric samples are usually subject to all kinds of contamination, which cannot be completely removed from the dated specimen.'

'If the cleaning procedure of the sample is not thoroughly performed, carbon-14 dating is not reliable,' he added.

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