Italian Researchers Use New Techniques to Date the Shroud of Turin.
The Shroud of Turin, believed to be the cloth used to wrap the body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, first emerged in the 1350s.
However, a study conducted in the 1980s dismissed this hypothesis when experts confirmed that the fabric material was created during the Middle Ages.
The Shroud of Turin, preserved in the San Giovanni Battista Church in Turin (Italy) since 1578. (PHOTO: REUTERS).
Now, Italian researchers have employed a new technique to confirm that the fabric was woven around 2,000 years ago, during the time of Jesus, according to the Daily Mail on August 20.
Specifically, a team of scientists from the Institute of Crystallography under the Italian National Research Council recently conducted an analysis of the fabric using wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS).
This technique measures the natural aging condition of the linen fibers and converts it into production time.
The researchers examined a total of 8 small fabric samples taken from the Shroud of Turin, placing the samples under X-rays to collect information about the smallest details of the fabric structure and the cellulose organic compound patterns of the fabric fibers.
Based on their observations, the research team determined that the Shroud of Turin was likely kept in an environment with a temperature of about 22.5 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 55% for approximately 13 centuries before arriving in Europe in the 1500s.
Next, they compared the cellulose degradation levels in the shroud with fabric samples found in Israel from the first century.
“The data obtained is completely consistent with similar measurements on a fabric sample dated between 55-74 AD at Masada, Israel,” according to a report published in the journal Heritage.