Recent scientific analysis suggests that the Turin Shroud, the linen cloth with the image of a crucified man believed by some to be Jesus, could be 2,000 years old, much older than previously thought.
The study, published in the open-access journal Heritage, used a new method to test ancient linen threads. The analysis was done by the Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council in Italy and was first reported in 2022.
Previously, radiocarbon dating in 1988 had estimated the cloth’s age to be around 1325 AD. However, new X-ray analysis showed that the linen is significantly older than that estimate.
The researchers found that the condition of the linen suggests it could be 2,000 years old, as Christian tradition claims. This assumes the cloth was kept in proper conditions—temperature between 20.0–22.5°C and relative humidity between 75–55%—for 13 centuries before arriving in Europe, plus the seven centuries of known history in Europe.
New X-Ray Analysis Suggests Turin Shroud May Be 2,000 Years Old, Challenging 1988 Radiocarbon Dating Results
To match the new findings with the 1988 radiocarbon dating, the Turin Shroud would have had to be kept at extremely high, almost record-breaking temperatures for seven centuries.
According to Matthew 27:59 in the Bible, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in linen, and placed it in a tomb.
The shroud has been stored at the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Turin, Italy, since it was discovered in the 1350s.
Italian researchers have criticized the 1988 radiocarbon dating, saying it was unreliable due to problems with both the procedures and the statistics, including issues with carbon contamination and sample measurements.
The latest study used X-ray scattering to measure the sugar molecules in the linen. This method helps estimate the shroud’s age by comparing the rate of degradation of the cellulose to temperature conditions.
The researchers noted that since the X-ray dating suggests the shroud is older than its known seven centuries in Europe, it is fortunate that it was brought to Europe seven centuries ago.
The researchers found that since the 14th century, the linen of the Turin Shroud has aged very slowly because of the relatively cool temperatures in Europe. This slow aging has helped keep the image on the shroud from fading away completely. At an average temperature of 22.5°C, the image would have mostly disappeared.
If the shroud were actually 2,000 years old, it would have naturally aged 90% under typical conditions of 22.5°C and 55% humidity. However, the research found that the actual aging of the shroud is only 60%.
So, it seems that the cooler temperatures in Europe over the last seven centuries have helped preserve the shroud’s image, making it even harder for scientists to solve the mystery of its true age.
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