Newsgroup: it.discussioni.misteri
Titolo: Sindone anteriore anno 800?

Shroud of Turin Said Pre-8th Century
By TRACI ANGEL Associated Press Writer - August 2
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A new analysis of pollen grains and plant images on the
Shroud of Turin places its origin to Jerusalem before the 8th Century.
The study gives a boost to those who believe the shroud is the burial cloth
of Jesus and refutes a 1988 examination by scientists that concluded the
shroud was made between 1260 and 1390.
The earlier study also indicated the shroud came from Europe rather than the
Holy Land.
``We have identified by images and by pollen grains species on the shroud
restricted to the vicinity of Jerusalem,'' botany professor Avinoam Danin of
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem said Monday during the International
Botanical Congress here. ``The sayings that the shroud is from European
origin can't hold.''
More than 4,000 scientists from 100 countries are taking part in the
botanical conference, which focuses on a wide range of issues related to
plants.
The shroud contains pollen grains and the image of a crucified man, as well
as faint images of plants.
Analysis of the floral images, and a separate analysis of the pollen grains
by another botanist, Uri Baruch, identified a combination of plant species
that could be found only in March and April in the region of Jerusalem,
Danin said.
Danin identified a high density of pollen of the tumbleweed Gundelia
tournefortii. The analysis also found the bean caper (Zygophyllum dumosum).
The two species coexist in a limited area, Danin said.
``This combination of flowers can be found in only one region of the
world,'' he said. ``The evidence clearly points to a floral grouping from
the area surrounding Jerusalem.''
An image of the Gundelia tournefortii can be seen near the image of the
man's shoulder. Some experts have suggested that the plant was used for the
``crown of thorns.''
Two pollen grains of the species were also found on the Sudarium of Oviedo,
believed to be the burial face cloth of Jesus.
Danin, who has done extensive study on plants in Jerusalem, said the pollen
grains are native to the Gaza Strip.
Since the Sudarium of Oviedo has resided in the Cathedral of Oviedo in Spain
since the 8th century, Danin said that the matchup of pollen grains pushes
the shroud's date to a similar age. Both cloths also carry type AB blood
stains in similar patterns, Danin said.
``The pollen association and the similarities in the blood stains in the two
cloths provide clear evidence that the shroud originated before the 8th
Century,'' Danin said.
The location of the Sudarium of Oviedo has been documented since the first
century. If it is found that the two cloths are linked, then the shroud
could date back even further, Danin said.
The 1988 study used carbon-14 dating tests. Danin noted that the earlier
study looked at only a single sample, while he used the entire piece of
fabric.
The Shroud of Turin is a linen about 13 feet long and 3 feet wide that has
been kept in the city of Turin, Italy, since 1578. The shroud bears the
image of a man with wounds similar to those suffered by Jesus.
``It is something that many Catholics and other Christians hold very dear,''
Steve Mamanella, spokesman for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said of the
shroud. ``Perhaps this helps solidify that particular belief.''

 fabric.
Anche cosi', se un campione e' del 1355, come fa l'immagine ad essere di 
prima dell'8^ secolo? Non ci sono tracce di cuciture, o rifacimenti. 
-- 
Gianni Comoretto      			Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri 
gcomo...@arcetri.astro.it
		Largo E. Fermi 5 
http://www.arcetri.astro.it/~comore
	50125 Firenze - ITALY