1988 Radiocarbon Dating
Question tested
Does the 1988 AMS establish a medieval date for the sampled linen?
Current read
Three AMS laboratories dated Shroud material to AD 1260-1390 at 95% confidence. This is the strongest single piece of evidence in the case.
Established Observations
- FACTArizona, Oxford, and Zurich dated Shroud samples by .
- FACTThe published result reported a calibrated range of AD 1260-1390 at 95% confidence.
- FACTAll Shroud subsamples came from one sampling area rather than multiple representative areas of the cloth.
- SUPPORTED INFERENCEThe radiocarbon range aligns closely with the object's first secure medieval documentary appearance.
Evidence Quality
High, because it is direct physical dating by multiple laboratories with controls; limited by using one sampling region from an edge/corner area.
Accepted / Conventional Reading
- The tested linen is medieval and probably dates the object itself.
- The match between and medieval provenance is mutually reinforcing.
- Unresolved image formation does not invalidate direct dating.
Challenge / Alternative Reading
- The test dates only the sampled material, not necessarily the whole cloth.
- If the sample was repaired, chemically altered, or otherwise non-representative, the result could be misleading.
- The single-site sampling design leaves a legitimate path for further testing.
Direct dating weight
The 1988 radiocarbon test is the strongest discriminating evidence because it directly measured material reported to come from the Shroud.
The test does not solve image formation. It addresses the age of the sampled linen.
Built-in limitation
The main limitation is . A one-area edge sample can be high quality evidence while still leaving an honest question about whether the whole cloth was represented.
Open Questions
- Would representative multi-site testing reproduce the medieval range?
- Can retained sample fragments be fully mapped against the original sample position?
- How should affect the published confidence interval?
PARALLAX Assessment
The 1988 radiocarbon result strongly favors a medieval date for the sampled linen. Treating it as overturned is not currently justified.
Sources
- Technical / scientific analysisshroud-nature-1989
Radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin
Technical sourceScientific, engineering, forensic, or specialist analysis; weight follows method and reproducibility.- Limit
- Technical publication does not remove limits in method, data access, replication, or later criticism.
The 1989 publication of the Arizona, Oxford, and Zurich AMS radiocarbon tests, reporting a calibrated medieval range of AD 1260-1390 at 95% confidence.
- Technical / scientific analysisshroud-casabianca-2019
Radiocarbon Dating of the Turin Shroud: New Evidence from Raw Data
Technical sourceScientific, engineering, forensic, or specialist analysis; weight follows method and reproducibility.- Method
- Statistical reassessment of released radiocarbon data and published measurements.
- Limit
- Data heterogeneity weakens overconfident whole-cloth claims, but does not by itself establish an ancient date.
Statistical critique using British Museum material released in 2017, arguing that homogeneity is lacking and that the 1988 procedure should be reconsidered.