Shrouded Flowers
The Shroud of Turin is a 14.4 ft long by 3.6 ft wide linen cloth that bears the double image of a man who appears to have suffered crucifixion. Tradition holds that the individual on the shroud, covered in scourge marks and wearing a crown of thorns, is none other than Jesus Christ. The linen must therefore have been His burial cloth. The authenticity of the Shroud of Turin is hotly debated, but could botany hold the key to validating this relic?
Interest in the shroud’s botanical clues first arose in 1973, when renown criminalist Max Frei, who had a Ph.D. in botany, was allowed to examine the artifact. He collected several samples from the shroud by placing clear, adhesive tape over it and gently pulling up anything caught in the fibers. His tape-based analysis identified ~50 different kinds of pollen. Frei examined the tiny grains of pollen using both light and scanning electron microscopy and compared them to pollen he personally collected from trips to the Middle East.
The majority of the plants he claimed to identify were found in Israel and Turkey, though others were from France and Italy. This is important because tradition holds that the shroud originated in Jerusalem and was moved to Edessa and then Constantinople (both of which were located in what is now Turkey). After the fall of Constantinople, it was taken to France by crusaders, and then brought to Italy.
Subsequent analysis of pollen grains have also identified more plant species endemic to the Near-East, as well as salt and minerals typical of desert regions. Pollen from other European species, such as the Forget-Me-Not, were also found on the shroud, but these flowers were likely placed near the shroud as an act of Christian veneration in later ages.
In addition to the pollen, there are several faint images of flowers and other plant matter on the shroud around the region of the head and as a bouquet on the upper chest. Some of the plants identified include Gundelia tournefortii, a thistle that may have been used to make the crown of thorns, Zygophyllum dumosum, a flowering shrub limited mainly to the Sinai Desert, Hyoscyamus reticulatus, a flowering plant in the nightshade family, and a Capparis flower, which, based on its physiology, appears to have been picked at 3 or 4 pm. There are also images of Pistacia fruit, which may have been used as a burial spice.
Based on the the distribution of plant species across Near East, some scientists suggest that plants present on the shroud coexist only within a limited region near Jerusalem. Many of these species bloom in early Spring around the celebration of Passover. What is more, wilting in the plants suggest they were placed on the body 48-36 hours before their image was burned into the shroud.
Combined, the botanical data on the shroud suggest that it did not originate in Europe as an elaborate hoax, but in the Near East around Jerusalem. It was present in several different regions through which it was supposed to have been carried. The flower impressions also seem to establish a location (near Jerusalem), season (early Spring) and time (late afternoon) of the individual’s death.
As compelling as the data may be, it’s important to remember that the identification of plant species through heavily degraded pollen samples and faint floral impressions is a tricky business. There will always be some room for doubt as to the shroud’s origins, which means, at the end of the day, deciding where the shroud came from all comes down to faith.
Brian Rutter, PhD, is the cofounder of Hundredfold Video and plant biologist working for 2Blades at the University of Minnesota. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our “Things About Things – Odd Facts About Plants” and video production tips in your inbox every month!
Works Cited:
Bryant Jr, Vaughn M. "Does pollen prove the shroud authentic?." Biblical archaeology review 26, no. 6 (2000): 36.
Lucotte, Gérard. "Exploration of the Face of the Turin Shroud. Pollens Studied by SEM Analysis." Archaeological Discovery 3, no. 4 (2015): 158-178.
Whanger, Alan D. "Botanical Study of the Shroud of Turin."
