Surprising DNA analysis reveals where Shroud of Turin may have actually originated

Just in case this mythological robe wasn’t shrouded in enough mystery.

Analysis has revealed DNA belonging to plants, animals and even people of Indian descent on the Shroud of Turin, deepening the mystery surrounding the garb that allegedly swaddled the body of Christ post-crucifixion. This genetic disrobing was detailed in a recent yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study in the journal Bioarxiv.

“Our findings highlight its (the shroud’s_ preservation conditions and environmental interactions, offering valuable perspectives into the identified genetic variants, which originated from multiple biological sources,” wrote the team, which included Gianni Barcaccia at the University of Padova, in the study.

First documented in France in 1354, the legendary 14.44 by 3.61-foot linen remains one of the most iconic and controversial Christian artifacts, the New Scientist reported.

A 1988 analysis of the shroud, which has been housed at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy for half a millennium, revealed that it was made between 1260 and 1390, canceling out the possibility that so-called visage on the cloth belonged to JC.

However, this has been disputed by dyed-in-the-wool Christian scholars.

To determine the clothing’s true origin, Barcaccia and his team conducted a genetic resurrection — they analyzed material gathered from the relic in 1978 like an archaeological forensic file, finding that it contained a cornucopia of both medieval and modern DNA.

Perhaps the most striking find was that 40% of the DNA hailed back to Indian bloodlines, suggesting that Romans brought back linen from the Indus Valley, or even hinting that the shroud material originated on the subcontinent.

“The DNA traces found on the Shroud of Turin suggest the potentially extensive exposure of the cloth in the Mediterranean region and the possibility that the yarn was produced in India,” the team wrote.

However, Anders Götherström at Stockholm University in Sweden, who was not affiliated with the study, threw cold water on the notion that the shroud originated from India.

“I still see no reason to doubt that the shroud is French and from the 13th-14th century,” he says.

Of course, that was only the tip of the DNA iceberg. Other genetic evidence included traces of domestic cats and dogs, farm animals like chickens and cattle, as well as deer, rabbits, fish, bugs and other wildlife.

Also present were flora ranging from carrots to wheat and potatoes, which researchers suspect was brought to Europe after explorers started traveling to Asia and the New World — although the exact date of this animal and plant contamination was difficult to gauge.

Unfortunately, the shroud was found to be tainted with a variety of human DNA, including the 1978 scientists, “thereby challenging the possibility of identifying the original DNA of the Shroud,” researchers wrote. The presence of skin bacteria on the shroud also hints at the intense handling over the years.

“Overall, our prior and present findings provide valuable insights into the geographic origins of individuals who interacted with the Shroud throughout its historical journey across various regions, populations, and eras,” the scientists wrote.

Barcaccia weren’t the first team to peel back the relic’s layers of late.

Last year Brazilian 3D digital designer Cicero Moraes, who has used virtual recreations to shed light on historical figures and artifacts, sacred Shroud of Turin was not used to cover Jesus and was actually a recreation created by Medieval artists.

By using 3D simulations of the shroud — one that draped a body and the other that covered a low-relief statue of a person — he discovered low-relief recreation was an exact match for the pictures.

This suggested that the image on the shroud was not the outline of a real body, but rather the imprint of a shallow carving that was used as a mold.