Shroud

New AI and 3D digital analysis of the Turin Shroud suggests the controversial cloth was likely created by a medieval artist, challenging centuries of belief that it was Jesus Christ’s authentic burial cloth

In a stunning revelation, one expert has used AI to uncover a shocking impossibility regarding the shroud of Turin – previously believed to be Jesus’s burial cloth.

A groundbreaking new 3D digital analysis suggests the ancient fabric was likely not marked by Christ’s face, but rather crafted by a medieval artist as a religious tribute.

It was believed the shroud bore Jesus’s imprint following his crucifixion and entombment. Yet a Brazilian digital graphics specialist has now challenged this theory, according to Archaeometry. Cicero Moraes utilised free modelling software including MakeHuman, Blender, and Cloud compare to show how fabric would react when draped over both a human form and a sculpture created on a flat surface with shallow, elevated sections.

The Turin Shroud, measuring 14.5 feet by 3.7 feet, bears a faint impression of a man with injuries matching crucifixion death, reports the Mirror US.

For centuries it was considered a sacred relic from over 2,000 years ago. Despite doubts about this account’s authenticity – the story has endured – since the artefact first emerged in the 14th century.

In 1989, radiocarbon dating tests dated the shroud’s origins to the medieval era between 1260 and 1390 CE.

Though subsequent research challenged these results, proposing that the sample may have originated from a mended portion of the fabric, the initial account remained widely accepted.

During Moraes’ latest digital examination, the image created when cloth was virtually placed over a 3D human figure differed significantly from the shroud itself.

The figure looked distorted, broader and misshapen owing to what occurs when fabric rests over an actual body.

This distortion is known as the “Agamemnon Mask effect,” named after the broad gold burial mask unearthed at Mycenae, an ancient Greek archaeological location.

Conversely, the impression from a low-relief sculpture closely resembled the shape and proportions of that on the Turin Shroud.

Moraes wrote: “The contact pattern generated by the low-relief model is more compatible with the Shroud’s image. It shows less anatomical distortion and greater fidelity to the observed contours.”

He explained how a shallow sculpture, perhaps crafted from wood, stone, or metal, would probably have acted as a mould to achieve the intended outcome.

Subsequently, heat or pigment may have been applied exclusively to the raised portions of the surface to form the outline of Jesus’s likeness.

Moraes stated that this technique would account for the smooth, flat image of the Shroud, unlike the warped outcome one might encounter by wrapping fabric around an actual human body.

Moraes indicated there was a slight possibility the cloth may have been taken from a genuine covering of a corpse – his research backs the carbon testing of 1989.

Moraes didn’t delve into the material itself or the potential techniques employed, but determined the artefact ought to be viewed as a “masterwork of Christian art.”

This creative depiction aligns with the era. Throughout the medieval period, subtle portrayals of religious figures were widespread across Europe and shallow engravings were frequently utilised by Medieval craftsmen.