Textiles and environment in the showcase containing Saint Canute the Holy († AD 1086): Radiocarbon dating and chemical interactions

Abstract

The cathedral in Odense, Denmark, has for nine centuries held the relics of the Danish King St Canute the Holy and his brother Benedikt. They were both murdered in the predecessor church at the site in AD 1086, and Canute was sanctified in already in AD 1100. The history of the relics has been that of turmoil at times, varying from initial worship of the Catholic believers, to being walled up and hidden away after the protestant reformation in AD 1536, and since the 19th Century on display as important heritage objects of national importance. In the present work we have characterised some of the textiles and analysed the air inside the glass showcases exhibiting the 11th Century wooden coffins holding the remains of St King Canute the Holy and his brother together with some precious textiles. Contrary to previous belief, we now prove that all the textiles analysed have the same age, which is consistent with the time of the enshrinement of the King and his brother in AD 1100. It is also shown that some of the textiles were treated with paraffin wax, most likely during attempts at conservation at the National Museum in the nineteenth century. The results of the air chemistry analyses show the problematic side of simultaneously storing of slowly decaying wood, fine textiles, and human bones in rather airtight environments. The wood continuously releases organic acids, the soaring concentrations of which are potentially harmful to the 11th Century textiles and probably also to the bones.

Combined, sequential dye analysis and radiocarbon dating of single ancient textile yarns from a Nazca tunic

“…In these instances, a chronometric date can help to verify that the object likely comes from the anticipated time period. Despite a long running debate following the dating of the Shroud of Turin [12,13], radiocarbon dating of textiles is widely used to provide missing information about an object's temporal origins including from medieval relics [14,15], Coptic textiles [16], Tibetan fabrics, and pre-Columbian ponchos [17]. With the development of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), radiocarbon dating laboratories commonly ask for 10-20 mg of material for routine analysis of textiles.…”

The colors of pre‐Hispanic textiles from cemeteries in the Quillagua and San Pedro de Atacama oases of Northern Chile

“…Although it is not possible to know the colors of the textiles when they were weaved in pre‐Hispanic times, those colors were probably not so different from the ones they exhibit today since cemeteries where they were found were located within one of the driest deserts on the planet (although changes in color due to chemical interaction with objects co‐deposited with the textiles cannot be discarded 81 ) and textiles were recovered by professional archeologists and stored in museum deposits under optimal preservation conditions. These conditions have also made possible the recovery of naturally mummified bodies as well as objects such as wooden snuff trays and tubes, basketry, and vegetable remains in well‐preserved states.…”