Turin, Shroud

Dating of textiles is possible by means of radiocarbon dating. Developments in this technique have greatly improved its utihty for that purpose, as exemplified by its appHcation in the dating of the Turin Shroud (121). 

Picknett, Lynn and Clive Prince. Turin Shroud in whose image the shocking truth unveiled. London Bloomsbury, 1994. xii, 212 p. ISBN 0747517401... 

This volume explains what the image on the Turin shroud actually is and shows step-by-step how it was created. It proves beyond resonable doubt not only who created the image and why, but also whose image appears on the shroud. Using the most up-to-date techniques of computer analysis and imaging this work looks in depth at the shroud s creator, alchemical secrets and the centuries-old conspiracies of silence."... 

Gove, H. E. (1996), Relic, Icon or Hoax Carbon Dating the Turin Shroud, Institute of Physics, Bristol. 

Radiometric measurements are still used in radiocarbon laboratories worldwide [18] however, it is evident that the sample size requirements limit the kind of samples used for example, would the Turin Shroud ever have been radiocarbon dated, if a 10 g piece (corresponding to some hundreds of square centimetres) had to be sampled ... 

The half-life is independent of the initial number of nuclei. For 14C decay the half-life is 5717 years, whereas the 238U decay half-life is 4.5 billion years. Carbon dating works well for timescales in the recent past and is used for dating objects such as the Turin shroud, but 238U is better for timescales of the age of the solar system. 

The Turin Shroud is a long linen sheet housed in Italy s Turin Cathedral. Many people believe that the surface of the cloth bears the image of Jesus Christ (see... 

Figure 8.12 Many people believe the Turin Shroud bears an image of Jesus Christ, imprinted soon after his crucifixion. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the flax of the shroud dates from 1345 ad...

Figure 8.12), imprinted soon after he died by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman authorities in about ad 33. There has been constant debate about the Turin Shroud and its authenticity since it first came to public notice in ad 1345 some devout people want it to be genuine, perhaps so that they can know what Jesus actually looked like, while others (many of whom are equally devout) believe it to be a fake dating from the Middle Ages. 

An accurate knowledge of the Turin Shroud s age would allow us to differentiate between these two simplistic extremes of ad 33 and ad 1345, effectively distinguishing between a certain fake and a possible relic of enormous value. 

SAQ8.19 To return to the example of the Turin Shroud. Suppose a sloppy technique caused the precision of the 14C measurement to decrease from 92.23 per cent to 90 2 percent. Calculate the range of ages for the shroud. [Hint perform two calculations, one for either of the extreme values of percentage.]... 

Turin Shroud, e.g. via contamination with other sources of carbon. Its treatment is informative and generally applicable. 

Dinegar Schwalbe Provenance Studies of the Turin Shroud... 

Red ochres have been reported in Byzantine icons and frescos (Bikiaris et al, 1999 Lelekova, 1998 Panev, 1979 Sr. Danula et al., 2002), mediaeval frescos (Perez et al, 1999), used on the Turin Shroud (McCrone, 1986) and on playing cards (Richter and Harlin, 1976). Ochres occur in easel painting world-wide. For examples see Gettens and Turner (1951, Mexican santeros) Bomford et al. (1990, Italian Renaissance) Kuhn (1968, Vermeer) Townsend (1996, Turner) Newman et al. (1980, Winslow Homer) and Laar and Bumstock (1997, general). 

McCormack (2000) McCormack, J.K. The Darkening of Ciimabar in Sunlight MineraliumDeposita 35 8 (2000) 796-798 McCrdne (1986) McCrone, W. Microscopical Study of the Turin Shroud, IV The American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Preprints of papers presented at the Fourteenth Annual Meeting Chicago, Illinois, 21-25 May 1986 (me) 77-96... 

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