Do gold particles from the Turin Shroud indicate its presence in the Middle East during the Byzantine Empire?

Abstract

Abstract The following question arose from analysis of dust vacuumed from the Shroud: do these particles show any connection with the gold that could have polluted the linen fabric in past centuries? To find an answer, the composition of gold alloy micro-particles vacuumed at various times from the Turin Shroud are compared with that of gold Byzantine coins minted during the VII–XIII century. The weight percentages of the micro-particles are determined via Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence analysis. The results are arranged in groups to show the similarity in composition between the micro-particles and coins. This process indicated a connection between the micro-particles and the Byzantine coins. In particular, many samples of gold-silver alloy possibly containing copper residual similar to the famous Byzantine Electrum have been detected. It is well known that the Electrum gold-silver alloy is not frequent in the gold coinage of ancient time. The presence of this alloy can be considered typical of the Byzantine Empire, if we exclude the Lydian coins of 6th century B.C. and few other rare cases not applicable for possible correlation with the Shroud. Evaluation of these results, therefore, is compatible with the Shroud's presence in the Byzantine Empire in the period up to 1204 A.D., as many historical clues indicate.