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So-called “relics of Joan of Arc,” under the care of the Archbishop of Tours in Chinon, France, do not contain the charred remains of the saint but consist of a mummified cat leg bone and human rib.
The bones date from the 6th-3rd century B.C., according to a new study, Discovery News reports.
The “relics,” which have fooled onlookers for decades, did resemble burnt bones, in keeping with historical accounts of the death of Joan of Arc (ca. 1412-1431), who was convicted of heresy and executed by burning.
Medical examiners, pathologists, geneticists, biochemists, a radiologist, zoologist and archaeologist all participated in the extensive study, which was accepted for publication in the journal Forensic Science International.
The bottle containing the bones first surfaced at a pharmacy in 1867. Its label read: “Remains found under the pyre of Joan of Arc, maiden of Orleans.”
Different techniques, including DNA analysis, several forms of microscopy, chemical analysis and carbon dating, were used to examine the bottle’s contents.
The “textile scrap” is likely a mummy wrapping, since “the chemical composition of the coatings was comparable with that of embalming products, such as those used by the old Egyptians,” the researchers concluded.
FULL STORY @
Joan of Arc ‘Relics’ Confirmed to Be Fake (Discovery News)
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