Gibson said the remains of the man covered in the cloth consisted of different wrappings for the body and the head, which was consistent with burial practices of the era. He called such a find in the Jerusalem area unique because the high humidity levels in the city do not normally allow for the preservation of organic material. 'This is the first time that we have a shroud from the time of Jesus,' said Shimon Gibson, the excavation director. The latest shroud was found in a tomb complex on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem. The find is of importance because tests on the shroud and the body it wrapped revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy in the Old City of Jerusalem.Īnd in addition, the weave of the shroud raises fresh doubts about the Shroud of Turin, which many people believe was used to wrap the body of Jesus.Īccording to researchers involved in the excavation and subsequent testing, the recently discovered shroud lends more credible evidence that the Shroud of Turin does not date to Roman times when Jesus died but from a later period. Jerusalem (CNN) - Researchers said Wednesday for the first time they have found what they believe to be pieces of a burial shroud from the time of Jesus. Weave of discovered shroud raises fresh doubts about Shroud of Turin.Shrouded man suffered from both leprosy and tuberculosis, researchers say.Researchers: Tests reveal earliest proven case of leprosy in Old City of Jerusalem.

Excavation chief: 'This is the first time that we have a shroud from the time of Jesus'.

Jesus burial shroud