Author(s)

Gérard Lucotte

Institut d’Anthropolgie Moléculaire, Paris, France.

We have studied by optical microscopy and by SEM-EDX some metallic particles of silver and gold adhering to the Maria-Magdalena hairs. The presence of silver particles is explained by the contact between hairs and the inner side made of silver of the initial reliquary where Maria-Magdalena remains were kept. Presence of gold particles is also explained by the contact between hairs and the gold of the bust-reliquary where hairs of Maria-Magdalena hairs were kept between 1283 and 1793.

Maria-Magdalena’s Hair, SEM-EDX Analyses, Silver and Gold Particles, Successive Reliquaries Where Maria-Magdalena’s Remains Were Kept, Calcium Phosphate Deposits, Other Metallic Particles

Lucotte, G. (2019) Silver and Gold on the Hairs of Holy Maria-Magdalena, Studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Elemental Analysis. Archaeological Discovery, 7, 257-282. doi: 10.4236/ad.2019.74012.