Medieval History
A new study suggests that one of Christianity's most prized but mysterious relics - the Turin Shroud - is not a medieval forgery and could be the burial robe of Christ.
Italian scientists conducted a series of experiments that they said showed that the marks on the shroud - purportedly left by the imprint of Christ's body - could not have been faked with technology that was available in medieval times.
Skeptics have long claimed that the 14ft-long cloth is a forgery. Radiocarbon testing conducted by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona in 1988 appeared to back up the theory, suggesting that it dated from between 1260 and 1390. But those tests were in turn disputed on the basis that they were contaminated by fibres from cloth that was used to repair the relic when it was damaged by fire in the Middle Ages.
The new study is the latest intriguing piece of a puzzle that has baffled scientists for centuries and spawned an industry of research, books and documentaries.
Click here to read this article from the Montreal Gazette
- Ancient Burial Cloth Reveals Bronze Age Trade Connections
A piece of nettle cloth retrieved from Denmark?s richest known Bronze Age burial mound Lusehøj may actually derive from Austria, new findings suggest. The cloth thus tells a surprising story about long-distance Bronze Age trade connections around 800...
- Treasures Of Heaven, Saints, Relics And Devotion In Medieval Europe, British Museum
Around 828, some Venetian merchants were in Alexandria on a mission. They made their way into the Coptic cathedral where the body of St Mark the Evangelist was preserved. Having somehow squared the custodians, the Italians slit open his shroud and carried...
- Shroud Of Turin Goes On Display
The Shroud of Turin has been put on display in the Turin Cathedral, the first time it has been seen by the public in ten years. The cloth, which depicts the image of Jesus Christ, has been carbon dated to the 13th or 14th century, but millions of Christians...
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Medieval History
The Turin Shroud could not have been faked, say scientists
A new study suggests that one of Christianity's most prized but mysterious relics - the Turin Shroud - is not a medieval forgery and could be the burial robe of Christ.
Italian scientists conducted a series of experiments that they said showed that the marks on the shroud - purportedly left by the imprint of Christ's body - could not have been faked with technology that was available in medieval times.
Skeptics have long claimed that the 14ft-long cloth is a forgery. Radiocarbon testing conducted by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona in 1988 appeared to back up the theory, suggesting that it dated from between 1260 and 1390. But those tests were in turn disputed on the basis that they were contaminated by fibres from cloth that was used to repair the relic when it was damaged by fire in the Middle Ages.
The new study is the latest intriguing piece of a puzzle that has baffled scientists for centuries and spawned an industry of research, books and documentaries.
Click here to read this article from the Montreal Gazette
- Ancient Burial Cloth Reveals Bronze Age Trade Connections
A piece of nettle cloth retrieved from Denmark?s richest known Bronze Age burial mound Lusehøj may actually derive from Austria, new findings suggest. The cloth thus tells a surprising story about long-distance Bronze Age trade connections around 800...
- Treasures Of Heaven, Saints, Relics And Devotion In Medieval Europe, British Museum
Around 828, some Venetian merchants were in Alexandria on a mission. They made their way into the Coptic cathedral where the body of St Mark the Evangelist was preserved. Having somehow squared the custodians, the Italians slit open his shroud and carried...
- Shroud Of Turin Goes On Display
The Shroud of Turin has been put on display in the Turin Cathedral, the first time it has been seen by the public in ten years. The cloth, which depicts the image of Jesus Christ, has been carbon dated to the 13th or 14th century, but millions of Christians...
- The Week's News
Race to save medieval artefact for the nation Medieval Ballads and Folk-Rock Win for Melnitsa Washington's National Gallery displays rare medieval manuscript illuminations Saxon cellars are uncovered at brewery site Franciscan remains discovered during...
- News Of The Week
Abbey body identified as gay lover of Edward II Medieval chest gets new lease of life Ferocious warriors and a fiery path to Valhalla bring city past to dramatic life Bondington report reveals more about medieval village Priceless Byzantine cross stolen...