Divinity Atlas
Things this atlas does not know. Each entry is a question that specialists
have posed and not settled, recorded with what would actually resolve it and which
expertise the answer needs.
These are kept deliberately, rather than quietly omitted. An atlas that shows
only what it is sure of implies a confidence it has not earned, and the gaps are often where
the interesting work is. Several sit exactly where two fields fail to meet: identifying the
hyssop of the Hebrew Bible needs a botanist and a philologist of Biblical Hebrew, and neither
one settles it alone.
You can send evidence on some of these. A pilot is open on 55 questions in one field, Palaeography. Each says what would resolve it; send something that meets that bar, with a source anybody can check, and an editor will weigh it. Sending evidence does not guarantee the question will be resolved, and it does not have to be your field to read what is being asked. See what is open.
Grouped by the field an answer needs. A question sitting between two disciplines appears under both, which is why the group counts add up to more than the number of questions.
Filter By Specialty 99 fields, 1 selected
Showing 7 of 608 questions, filtered to 1 specialty.
Archaeometry 7
Blessed Mantle of the Prophet
Does the cloak preserved in the Chamber of the Sacred Relics at Topkapi Palace genuinely belong to the Prophet Muhammad?
Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy
Is the tooth enshrined at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy an authentic physical tooth of Gautama Buddha?
Open Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy
Why It Is Open No independent scientific examination of the relic has ever been permitted. Its identification rests entirely on transmitted religious tradition, not on physical testing.
What Would Settle It Non-destructive material analysis, such as micro-CT or isotopic testing, of the relic, if Sri Dalada Maligawa ever permitted an outside examination.
Expertise Needed Archaeometry, Buddhist studies
Question posed in
Sri Dalada Maligawa, The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (official site), Sri Dalada Maligawa.
Imperial Regalia of Japan
Are the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the mirror Yata no Kagami and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama actually present today, in the condition tradition describes?
Open Imperial Regalia of Japan
Why It Is Open Shinto religious practice keeps all three objects permanently unshown. Atsuta Shrine, Ise Grand Shrine and the Imperial Household Agency have never permitted an outside examination, so nobody outside the shrines and the Agency has verified the objects present or their condition in the modern era.
What Would Settle It A supervised non-invasive examination, such as imaging conducted by the custodial shrines or the Imperial Household Agency themselves, since no outside access has ever been permitted.
Expertise Needed Shinto studies, archaeometry
Question posed in
The Imperial Regalia: Japan's Three Sacred Treasures (Nippon.com), Nippon.com.
Tooth Relic of Lingguang Temple
Is the tooth relic enshrined at the Lingguang Temple stupa in Beijing an authentic physical tooth of Gautama Buddha?
Sri Dalada Maligawa
Is the tooth relic held by Sri Dalada Maligawa an authentic physical tooth of Gautama Buddha?
Open Sri Dalada Maligawa
Why It Is Open The temple permits only devotional access. No independent scientific examination of the relic has ever been permitted, so authenticity rests on transmitted tradition alone.
What Would Settle It Non-destructive material analysis of the relic, such as micro-CT or isotopic testing, if the temple ever permitted an outside examination.
Expertise Needed Archaeometry, Buddhist studies
Question posed in
Sri Dalada Maligawa (institutional record).
Sudarium of Oviedo
What is the true age of the Sudarium of Oviedo cloth?
Open Sudarium of Oviedo
Why It Is Open Radiocarbon testing of the cloth returned an approximate seventh century date, but the testing laboratory itself cautioned that oil contamination absorbed by the cloth could distort the result, so the date obtained has never been treated as reliable.
What Would Settle It A repeat radiocarbon dating using a sample cleaned of contaminant oils, of the kind used elsewhere to correct for similar contamination in aged relics.
Expertise Needed Archaeometry, radiocarbon dating
Question posed in
The Oviedo Cloth, Mark Guscin.
Radiocarbon Dating of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Would a radiocarbon assay of the Sudarium of Oviedo on a decontaminated sample give a different age from the seventh century AD result already published?
Open Radiocarbon Dating of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Why It Is Open The published assay came with the laboratory's own caveat that oils absorbed over centuries of veneration could distort the measured age, and that caveat was never tested. No scholar holds a position on what a clean measurement would show, so this is a gap rather than a disagreement: the work was started, it reached no conclusion, and nobody resumed it.
What Would Settle It A repeat assay on material cleaned by a published decontamination protocol, run blind across more than one laboratory, with the sampling location on the cloth recorded. Independent characterisation of the absorbed organic contaminants would show how large a shift they are capable of producing, which is the part the original caveat left unquantified.
Expertise Needed Radiocarbon dating and archaeometry, with textile conservation science for the decontamination protocol.
Question posed in
The Oviedo Cloth, Mark Guscin.
Buddhist Studies 3
Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy
Is the tooth enshrined at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy an authentic physical tooth of Gautama Buddha?
Open Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy
Why It Is Open No independent scientific examination of the relic has ever been permitted. Its identification rests entirely on transmitted religious tradition, not on physical testing.
What Would Settle It Non-destructive material analysis, such as micro-CT or isotopic testing, of the relic, if Sri Dalada Maligawa ever permitted an outside examination.
Expertise Needed Archaeometry, Buddhist studies
Question posed in
Sri Dalada Maligawa, The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (official site), Sri Dalada Maligawa.
Tooth Relic of Lingguang Temple
Is the tooth relic enshrined at the Lingguang Temple stupa in Beijing an authentic physical tooth of Gautama Buddha?
Sri Dalada Maligawa
Is the tooth relic held by Sri Dalada Maligawa an authentic physical tooth of Gautama Buddha?
Open Sri Dalada Maligawa
Why It Is Open The temple permits only devotional access. No independent scientific examination of the relic has ever been permitted, so authenticity rests on transmitted tradition alone.
What Would Settle It Non-destructive material analysis of the relic, such as micro-CT or isotopic testing, if the temple ever permitted an outside examination.
Expertise Needed Archaeometry, Buddhist studies
Question posed in
Sri Dalada Maligawa (institutional record).
Radiocarbon Dating 2
Sudarium of Oviedo
What is the true age of the Sudarium of Oviedo cloth?
Open Sudarium of Oviedo
Why It Is Open Radiocarbon testing of the cloth returned an approximate seventh century date, but the testing laboratory itself cautioned that oil contamination absorbed by the cloth could distort the result, so the date obtained has never been treated as reliable.
What Would Settle It A repeat radiocarbon dating using a sample cleaned of contaminant oils, of the kind used elsewhere to correct for similar contamination in aged relics.
Expertise Needed Archaeometry, radiocarbon dating
Question posed in
The Oviedo Cloth, Mark Guscin.
Radiocarbon Dating of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Would a radiocarbon assay of the Sudarium of Oviedo on a decontaminated sample give a different age from the seventh century AD result already published?
Open Radiocarbon Dating of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Why It Is Open The published assay came with the laboratory's own caveat that oils absorbed over centuries of veneration could distort the measured age, and that caveat was never tested. No scholar holds a position on what a clean measurement would show, so this is a gap rather than a disagreement: the work was started, it reached no conclusion, and nobody resumed it.
What Would Settle It A repeat assay on material cleaned by a published decontamination protocol, run blind across more than one laboratory, with the sampling location on the cloth recorded. Independent characterisation of the absorbed organic contaminants would show how large a shift they are capable of producing, which is the part the original caveat left unquantified.
Expertise Needed Radiocarbon dating and archaeometry, with textile conservation science for the decontamination protocol.
Question posed in
The Oviedo Cloth, Mark Guscin.
Islamic Studies 1
Blessed Mantle of the Prophet
Does the cloak preserved in the Chamber of the Sacred Relics at Topkapi Palace genuinely belong to the Prophet Muhammad?
Shinto Studies 1
Imperial Regalia of Japan
Are the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the mirror Yata no Kagami and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama actually present today, in the condition tradition describes?
Open Imperial Regalia of Japan
Why It Is Open Shinto religious practice keeps all three objects permanently unshown. Atsuta Shrine, Ise Grand Shrine and the Imperial Household Agency have never permitted an outside examination, so nobody outside the shrines and the Agency has verified the objects present or their condition in the modern era.
What Would Settle It A supervised non-invasive examination, such as imaging conducted by the custodial shrines or the Imperial Household Agency themselves, since no outside access has ever been permitted.
Expertise Needed Shinto studies, archaeometry
Question posed in
The Imperial Regalia: Japan's Three Sacred Treasures (Nippon.com), Nippon.com.
Textile Conservation Science 1
Radiocarbon Dating of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Would a radiocarbon assay of the Sudarium of Oviedo on a decontaminated sample give a different age from the seventh century AD result already published?
Open Radiocarbon Dating of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Why It Is Open The published assay came with the laboratory's own caveat that oils absorbed over centuries of veneration could distort the measured age, and that caveat was never tested. No scholar holds a position on what a clean measurement would show, so this is a gap rather than a disagreement: the work was started, it reached no conclusion, and nobody resumed it.
What Would Settle It A repeat assay on material cleaned by a published decontamination protocol, run blind across more than one laboratory, with the sampling location on the cloth recorded. Independent characterisation of the absorbed organic contaminants would show how large a shift they are capable of producing, which is the part the original caveat left unquantified.
Expertise Needed Radiocarbon dating and archaeometry, with textile conservation science for the decontamination protocol.
Question posed in
The Oviedo Cloth, Mark Guscin.