At Topraktepe, the site of ancient Eirenopolis in Turkey, researchers discovered five carbonized loaves, one bearing a portrait of Jesus and an ancient Greek inscription reading, 'With our thanks to Blessed Jesus.' The work, conducted under the direction of the Karaman Museum Directorate, made it possible to recover these fragile organic remains thanks to a natural carbonization process. Exposure to fire under specific conditions of temperature and lack of oxygen preserved the loaves.
Carbon dating in 1988 placed the Shroud between 1260 and 1390 AD, seemingly ruling it out as Christ's burial cloth. Some researchers, however, have argued that the tested samples were merely taken from sections of the cloth that had been repaired during that period. Now, a bronze follis minted in Constantinople between AD 969 and 976 bears a striking resemblance to the Shroud's facial image.