reaction to item #38 of Budget Player Cadet:
Thanks for your link, of which I read the first article so far.
- The habit to use now and then Roman characters instead of Greek in occupied territory where Greek was the language, did not only happen with coins but with all kind of writings.
For me it’s unclear if the Romans did that on purpose or they just didn’t care to make such mistakes. - The images of those coins I saw were convincing, but I wasn’t there when they were produced of course. If during enhancing the image any manipulation took place, that would be fraud. I know very well how to change a picture to suggest something which was originally not there and reverse.
- I don’t agree with you that an artist could have made that image. It’s far too complicated: very small details, mirror image, 3d info in the darkening of the linen. Also the image shows front and backside of a body, never found before.
- The 14C-dating of the shroud, done by 3 labs in 1988, gave the average result of 663 years old, resulting in 1988-663= average 1325 AD. Flax which died around the year 30 AD should have exactly 20% less 14C. I am convinced those measurements of the ratios of 12,13,14C are very reliable. The standard calculation to determine the age from the 12C/14C-ratio is very simple and 100% accurate. The assumption for the original ratio of 1.2*10^-12 is acceptable, so nothing looks suspicious. Some said they took the samples from a part with which a reparation was done in the Middle Ages, but the people who know everything about the subject do not confirm that. If yet true, it would be the most stupid mistake I can imagine. So we have to accept the result of 14th century linen, I agree with you.
- the mechanism which made the image still is a mystery to me though.