TITLE:
Gold and Silver Particles on the Turin Shroud, Studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Elemental Analysis
AUTHORS:
Gérard Lucotte
KEYWORDS:
Turin Shroud, SEM-EDX Analyses, Gold and Silver Particles, Electrum, Billion
JOURNAL NAME:
Archaeological Discovery,
Vol.10 No.4,
October
12,
2022
ABSTRACT: We have studied by optical microscopy and by SEM-EDX some metallic particles of gold and silver adhering to a sample of the Turin Shroud. A total number of eighteen particles (and sub-particles) containing these two elements were characterized in details. Three of them (e49, b22 and h28-0) are parts of gold scales, and six (l38-1, 2, 3, 4, 7’ and 12) are micro-grains of a gold powder. The three a23-1, 2 and 3 sub-particles are the metallic parts of a spot of painting. The e27 particle (of electrum) is possibly some part of a coin of a Byzantine money; possibly also, the m10 particle could be parts of a billion (a coin of money used during the Roman Antiquity).