Real or fake, the Turin Shroud continues to captivate The shroud, believed by many Christians to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth, appears to show the image of a naked man bearing wounds consistent with crucifixion. Debunked as a medieval forgery in 1988, a more recent study concludes it could indeed have originated in the era of Jesus Christ -------------------------------------------------- CONFLICTING EVIDENCE 1988 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 1988: Carbon-14 dating techniques conclude relic is medieval fake, originating between 1260 and 1390 1999: Israeli botanists identify pollen from plants found only in Israel, Jordan and Egypt’s Sinai desert 2005: Microchemical tests suggest fabric is 1,300-3,000 years old, and that 1988 samples were contaminated by fibres used in medieval repairs 2013: Italian analysis of 1988 samples dates fabric to between 300 BC and 400 AD SHROUD Length of linen cloth woven in herringbone pattern (restored in 2002 to remove medieval repairs to fire damage) --------------------------------------------------- 4.41m Carbon dating samples taken Inside front Inside back Weave detail ----------------------------------------------------- ENHANCED IMAGE Using Photoshop, image inverted and flipped, contrast boosted Head: Swellings and fractures show signs of beating. Blood stains from small puncture wounds conducive with “crown of thorns” Wrist: Oval wound possibly caused by nail pinning limb to cross FIRE DAMAGE 1532: Shroud folded into silver reliquary at church in Chambéry Distinctive burns: Visible once unfolded Knees: Grazed skin likely due to multiple falls Feet: Single nail wound through both feet WRAPPING BODY Stains: Probably from water used to extinguish fire Reliquary: Melts in extreme heat Molten silver: Burns through 48 layers of linen Modern borders shown Lirey Turin ITALY Chambéry Edessa Constantinople (Istanbul) Jerusalem (Site of Crucifixion) 500km 311 miles -------------------------------------------------------- ABRIDGED HISTORY BC 300 200 100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 800 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 BC AD 2013 carbon dating findings 1988 carbon dating findings Fire Jesus born AD33: Jesus crucified 500-1200: Christian tradition tells of holy relic known as Image of Edessa – rectangle of cloth depicting face of Jesus. Some believe this to be Shroud folded to show only head 1204: Burial cloth, possibly Shroud, owned by Byzantine emperors disappears during Sack of Constantinople in Fourth Crusade 1350s: Knight Geoffroi de Charny in possession of Shroud in Lirey, France 1453: Shroud gifted to Duke of Savoy and lodged in Duchy’s capital, Chambéry 1578: Shroud sent to Turin, new capital of Savoy --------------------------------------------------- Sources: Shroud 2.0 iPad app, sindone.org, biblearchaeology.org, wire agencies Picture: Commissione Diocesana per la Sindone words 437