The Turin Shroud

People are always cropping up in the news reporting to have found the image of Jesus in a potato chip or some other ridiculous object, but this ancient length of linen cloth is the one to have garnered the most worldwide attention when it comes to resembling holy figures.

The debate over the appearance and exact age of the shroud has been steeped in controversy for centuries. Some Christians believe it to be the material used in the burial wrapping of Jesus. Others believe it to be a painting, and some – a photograph. Since different forms of analysis – including radiocarbon dating and spectroscopy – have placed the age of the shroud between 300 BC and 1390 AD, even the experts can’t decide whether the shroud is a medieval fake or the genuine article.