![]() ![]() Evolving amide gaseous compounds from the corpse could react with the polysaccharide residue by the Maillard reaction. 17Įvaporation drying after washing would leave a residue of polysaccharides (starch) on the surface of the cloth. Additionally, chemical tests on linen fiber growth nodes suggest the cloth is very old and predates the medieval period. ![]() Linen threads within the Shroud of Turin are consistent with this ancient spinning and weaving method rather than medieval practices where bleaching was done after weaving the cloth was finished. 15 Saponaria has hemolytic and preservative properties, explaining why the blood stains appear red rather than black. The linen cloth was then washed with soapweed, Saponaria officinalis. Hanks of yarn were bleached separately, then woven into cloth stabilized with starch during weaving. When a spindle was full, the hank of yarn would be bleached. Making cloth in the first century started with spinning linen fibers into yarns of thread. Physical and chemical characteristics of the cloth offer clues to its age that are not dependent on the carbon dating controversy. Similarly, archaeological evidence indicates mixed material textiles were not used for Jewish burial shrouds in Jesus’s time. It is noteworthy that weaving clothing from two different materials goes against Hebrew law ( Leviticus 19:19). 13 Altogether, samples used for the radiocarbon tests differ significantly from the main body of the cloth and suggest the samples came from a corner of the cloth that had been repaired by weaving cotton into the linen. Moreover, cotton fibers appeared encrusted with pigment that nearly matches the color of the cloth. ![]() ![]() Cotton fibers are mixed with linen in the radiocarbon samples, while the main body of the cloth is entirely linen. 12 This area near the edge has anomalous weave patterns compared to the larger body of the cloth. All three test samples came from a single swatch of cloth cut from near the edge of the cloth rather than by random sampling. In 1988 the cloth was carbon dated to AD 1260 to 1390, but this dating is considered invalid by many Shroud of Turin researchers due to flawed sampling protocol. And, despite water being used to douse the flames, the image remained unaltered, indicating it was not water soluble. The fire subjected the cloth to a thermal test which revealed that no pyrolysis products of medieval paint compounds were present, ruling out the possibility that the image of the man had been painted. 10Ī fire almost destroyed the Shroud of Turin in 1532, applying a violent chemical test to the cloth in the process. Cellulose was unaffected by the image formation, however. 9 No paints, dyes, or stains were discovered despite exhaustive testing.Īny form of radiation energy-thermal, electromagnetic, or particle-would have penetrated the fiber and altered the cellulose structure in order to produce the image. Researchers found that “reflectance spectra, chemical tests, laser-microprobe Raman spectra, pyrolysis mass spectrometry, and X-ray fluorescence all show that the image is not painted with any of the expected, historically-documented pigments.” 8 No fluid meniscus or cemented fibers were observed, ruling out the possibility of fluid application having been used to produce the image. This is called the “half-tone effect.” 7 Conversely, dye, paint, thermal energy, or gaseous reactants would have produced a color gradient. Variation in color density on the image corresponds to the number of colored fibers per unit area rather than true color gradation. 5 The image formation did not damage the blood stains, indicating the image was formed by a mild process. Yellow-colored fibers forming the image were not found beneath blood or serum, indicating the image formed after the blood adhered to the cloth. 4 The blood stains contain heme, the oxygen-transporting porphyrin found in blood. 3Īside from blood stains and serum residue, bodily effluents were not found on the cloth. 2 Microscopic examination reveals the man’s image is the result of yellow color found on the top two or three superficial fibers, each fiber ranging 10–15 micrometers in diameter, within the yarns of surface threads. The cloth is about 0.34 mm thick, with each thread containing 70–120 linen fibers. The Shroud of Turin measures 437 cm by 111 cm. In this post, we’ll examine the physical and chemical characteristics of the cloth and consider how the man’s image may have formed. 1 In a previous post, “The Shroud of Turin, Part 1: An Examination of the Man,” we discussed a forensic medical examination of the man pictured on the cloth. Interest in the Shroud of Turin intensified when a photograph in 1898 unexpectedly produced an enhanced, photonegative-like image of the man. The Shroud of Turin contains the faint image of a man identical to the biblical descriptions of the crucified Jesus. ![]()
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