The Video Overview:

Shroud__C-14_Controversy.mp4

Download Slide Deck:

The 1988 Shroud Dating Failure.pdf

The Podcast Dialogue:

Section 7- Dating the Shroud.mp3

This source critically examines the 1988 radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin, highlighting significant concerns about its methodology and conclusions. It details how a standalone dating project was pursued despite STURP's prior proposal for a more comprehensive, multidisciplinary investigation, and emphasizes that key warnings about contamination and sample selection were disregarded. The text argues that while the radiocarbon measurements themselves may be accurate for the tested sample, the resulting medieval date likely does not represent the Shroud's true age due to potential "enhanced contamination" or the non-representative nature of the sample, rather than standard reweaving or bioplastic contamination. Ultimately, it calls for continued scientific inquiry to understand the cause of this anomalous result before further dating attempts.

A Summary:

Radiocarbon Dating of the Shroud of Turin - Main Themes and Key Insights

This briefing document summarizes the key themes and important facts regarding the radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin, drawing from "Section 7 - Dating the Shroud.pdf." The document highlights the controversies surrounding the 1988 dating process, the scientific warnings issued beforehand, the details of the testing itself, the resulting age, and subsequent analyses and alternative hypotheses regarding the anomalous date.

1. Background and STURP's Vision for Shroud Research

By the early 1980s, the findings from STURP's (Shroud of Turin Research Project) 1978 study had significantly increased the impression of the Shroud's authenticity, leading to widespread anticipation for radiocarbon dating.

• Radiocarbon Dating Method: This method measures the residual amount of the radioactive carbon isotope C-14 in a sample. C-14, with a half-life of approximately 5,730 years, is absorbed by plants (like flax, from which the Shroud is woven) during their lifetime. Upon the plant's death, C-14 decay allows for an estimation of the sample's age.
• STURP's Integrated Approach: STURP's 1981 C-14 committee envisioned radiocarbon dating as part of a broader, integrated research project. This plan, submitted in 1984, included twenty-six new scientific studies, with C-14 testing being just one. Other studies included infrared investigation, spectroscopy, radiography, microbiological contamination analysis, and isotope ratio measurements, all intended to contextualize and improve the precision of radiocarbon dating.
• Contamination Concerns: The 1984 STURP proposal specifically addressed "contamination," noting it as "spatially non-uniform over the entire Shroud." It recommended taking at least three samples from different, carefully pre-analyzed locations, plus a control sample from the Holland backing cloth.

2. Controversy and Exclusion of STURP

A significant point of contention arose when the radiocarbon laboratories involved in the STURP proposal initiated a campaign to conduct a separate, stand-alone radiocarbon dating project, actively excluding STURP's multidisciplinary team.