Though it’s famous across the world, very little is truly known about the Shroud of Turin.

Thought by many to be the cloth that covered the body of Jesus after his death, others consider that the shroud is actually a work of art.

This has been a point of contention for decades, and understandably so, with the two camps intermittently presenting further evidence to disprove the other side.

For Christians who believe the shroud is holy, it is an extremely important artefact, and they don’t want its origins obscured by modern research. For scientists who refute factors like its 2,000 year age, for example, the evidence suggests that it really only dates back to Medieval times, but is nevertheless important.

The contradictory evidence goes on and on, with some studies dating the fabric back to the Medieval era, and others proving that strands are actually from the first century.

The Shroud really is a mystery, and remains so to this day.

One day, however, its true origins will be irrefutably proven – and with technology continually advancing, it is undeniable that this date is getting ever-closer.

And thanks a study by researcher Cicero Moraes, which was recently published in the journal Archaeometry, we could be a whole lot closer to getting that eagerly-anticipated answer.

In the study, Moraes used 3D modelling programmes MakeHuman, Blender and CloudCompare to compare how a 3D human body under a flat sheet would compare with a low-relief sculpture (which were popular in Medieval times) also under a sheet.

And the results were striking. Thanks to the distortion that a 2D object like a sheet causes to a 3D object like a body, the model of the sheet on the body looked very different to the imprint that remains on the Shroud of Turin.

When it came to the flatter surface of the low-relief sculpture, however, the imprint on the flat sheet was much more similar to the imprint that we see on the Shroud of Turin to this day, as Moraes explained in a statement:

“The contact pattern generated by the low-relief model is more compatible with the Shroud’s image, showing less anatomical distortion and greater fidelity to the observed contours, while the projection of a 3D body results in a significantly distorted image.”

Where does this new information leave us? Well, it is by no means conclusive proof, but it does lean towards the Medieval art theory. As ever though, the mystery behind the ancient shroud goes on.

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