MUST READ: Possibly the Biggest Radiocarbon Dating Mistake Ever
PRESS RELEASE
New Chemical Testing Points to Ancient Origin for Burial Shroud of Jesus; Los Alamos Scientist Proves 1988 Carbon-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin Used Invalid Rewoven Sample
Wednesday January 19, 2005, 8:32 am ET
DALLAS, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Shroud of Turin Association for Research (AMSTAR), a scientific organization dedicated to research on the enigmatic Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be the burial cloth of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, announced today that the 1988 Carbon-14 test was not done on the original burial cloth, but rather on a rewoven shroud patch creating an erroneous date for the actual age of the Shroud.
The Shroud of Turin is a large piece of
linen cloth that shows the faint full-body image of a blood-covered man on
its surface. Because many believe it to be the burial cloth of Jesus,
researchers have tried to determine its origin though numerous modern
scientific methods, including Carbon-14 tests done at three radiocarbon labs
which set the age of the artifact at between AD 1260 and 1390.
"Now conclusive evidence, gathered over the past two years, proves that the
sample used to date the Shroud was actually taken from an expertly-done
rewoven patch," says AMSTAR President, Tom D'Muhala. "Chemical testing
indicates that the linen Shroud is actually very old -- much older than the
published 1988 radiocarbon date."
"As unlikely as it seems, the sample used to test the age of the Shroud of
Turin in 1988 was taken from a rewoven area of the Shroud," reports chemist
Raymond Rogers, a fellow of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New
Mexico. Rogers' new findings are published in the current issue of
Thermochimica Acta, a chemistry peer reviewed scientific journal.
"Pyrolysis-mass-spectrometry results from the sample area coupled with
microscopic and microchemical observations prove that the radiocarbon sample
was not part of the original cloth of the Shroud of Turin which is currently
housed at The Turin Cathedral in Italy," says Rogers.
"The radiocarbon sample has completely different chemical properties than
the main part of the shroud relic," explains Rogers. "The sample tested was
dyed using technology that began to appear in Italy about the time the
Crusaders' last bastion fell to the Mameluke Turks in AD 1291. The
radiocarbon sample cannot be older than about AD 1290, agreeing with the age
determined in 1988. However, the Shroud itself is actually much older."
Rogers' new research clearly disproves the 1988 findings announced by
British Museum spokesperson, Mike Tite, when he declared that the Shroud was
of medieval origin and probably "a hoax." The British Museum coordinated the
1988 radiocarbon tests and acted as the official clearing house for all
findings.
Almost immediately, Shroud analysts questioned the validity of the sample
used for radiocarbon dating. Researchers using high-resolution photographs
of the Shroud found indications of an "invisible" reweave in the area used
for testing. However, belief tilted strongly toward the more "scientific"
method of radiocarbon dating. Rogers' recent analysis of an authentic sample
taken from the radiocarbon sample proves that the researchers were right to
question the 1988 results.
As a result of his own research and chemical tests, Rogers concluded that
the radiocarbon sample was cut from a medieval patch, and is totally
different in composition from the main part of the Shroud of Turin.
Contact: Michael Minor
(972) 932-5141
Shroud of Turin Story - Guide to the Facts Home Page
© 2004, 2005 Daniel R. Porter, Bronxville, New York
