What Is the Shroud of Turin?
The Shroud of Turin is a centuries-old linen cloth that bears the faint image of a man who appears to have been crucified. Housed in a cathedral in Turin, northern Italy, it has long been believed by many Christians to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. The image shows front and back views of a man with wounds consistent with crucifixion, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
Controversy and Carbon Dating
The Shroud has sparked debate for centuries. While believers claim it once wrapped the body of Christ, sceptics argue it’s a medieval forgery. Radiocarbon testing in 1988 dated the cloth to between 1260 and 1390 AD, suggesting it was created long after the time of Jesus.
New Research Challenges the Story
Now, a new study published in the journal Archaeometry claims to have solved part of the mystery. Brazilian 3D designer Cicero Moraes used digital modelling to test whether a real body could have formed the image. His conclusion? It couldn’t have been.
Moraes used 3D imaging software to simulate a burial cloth draped over both a real human body and a low-relief sculpture. The sculpture produced an image much more consistent with the Shroud’s features. He linked this to the “Agamemnon Mask Effect,” where pressing a soft surface onto a 3D face creates a distorted image, something not seen on the Shroud.
Art or Artifact?
Moraes believes the Shroud was never laid on a real body, but may instead be a carefully crafted artistic relic from the Middle Ages, possibly created for funerary or devotional purposes.
Still, debate rages on. Other researchers claim blood stain patterns on the Shroud suggest authenticity. One thing is certain: the mystery continues.
