The Turin Shroud has traditionally been considered the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, but a recent 3D digital study purports to reveal the origins of the venerable artefact. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
In an astonishing disclosure, one researcher has employed AI to highlight a clear impossibility concerning the Turin Shroud – historically accepted as Jesus’ burial cloth.
A revolutionary new 3D digital investigation alleges to indicate that the archaic linen was potentially not imprinted by the face of Jesus Christ himself, but was, in fact, fashioned by a medieval artisan in homage to the sacred occasion.
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It was conventionally accepted that the shroud displayed the image of Jesus’ countenance following his crucifixion and interment.
Nevertheless, a Brazilian digital graphics expert has now disputed this premise, according to Archaeometry. Cicero Moraes implemented readily accessible modelling software including MakeHuman, Blender, and Cloud Compare to depict how fabric would cascade when arranged on both a human figure and a sculpture produced on a level surface with subtle, raised portions.
The Turin Shroud, spanning 14.5 feet by 3.7 feet, presents a faint representation of a man exhibiting wounds consistent with crucifixion death, the Mirror US reports.
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For many years it was believed the fabric was a holy relic dating back more than 2,000 years.
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Notwithstanding reservations about the reliability of this narrative – the account has persisted – since the object first appeared in the 14th century.
In 1989 radiocarbon dating analysis situated the shroud’s beginnings in the medieval period between 1260 and 1390 AD. Although later investigations challenged these conclusions, suggesting that the sample may have originated from a repaired section of the material, the original explanation remained broadly recognised.
Within Moraes’ recent digital exercise, the image produced when material was digitally draped over a three-dimensional human likeness held scant resemblance to the shroud in question.
The figure seemed contorted, wider and misshapen resulting from how cloth would naturally fall across an actual form.
This deformation is recognised as the “Agamemnon Mask effect,” named after the expansive golden burial mask excavated at Mycenae, an ancient Greek location. Conversely, the representation generated by a subtle relief sculpture corresponded considerably more closely with the configuration and dimensions apparent on the Turin Shroud.
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Moraes remarked: “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 detailed how a superficial carving, perhaps produced from wood, stone, or metal, would likely have acted as a template to achieve the desired outcome.
Subsequently, heat or dye may have been applied solely to the elevated areas of the surface to generate the outline of Christ’s semblance. Moraes indicated that this method would explain the uniform, two-dimensional appearance of the Shroud, in contrast to the distorted result one would anticipate from enveloping material around a genuine human body.
Moraes suggested there remained a slight chance the fabric might have been sourced from an actual burial covering – his conclusions corroborate the carbon dating undertaken in 1989.
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Moraes avoided examining the material composition and potential processes deployed, but determined the artefact ought to be deemed a “masterpiece of Christian artistry.”
This artistic portrayal corresponds with the era. Throughout the medieval period, refined representations of religious individuals were widespread across Europe, and shallow carvings were regularly employed by Medieval artisans.