...CMatter02.06 1/24/06 10:37 AM Page 8 ChemMystery Real or Fake? The James Ossuary Case By Lois Fruen C SI (criminal scene investigation) is not limited to murder. Recently, a crime team was assembled to examine a controversial and potentially priceless bone box and black stone tablet. Although the bone box may have once held skeletal remains, the team was not interested in DNA or fingerprint evidence. They focused on a grimy buildup, called patina, on the surface and in the inscriptions of the box and tablet. If proven to be fake, the patina could expose a forgery ring that has faked inscriptions on ancient objects found in museums all around the world. The inscription on the bone box claims that it once held the bones of the brother of Jesus, while the tablet reports ancient repairs to Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Too good to be true? The Israel Antiquities Authority thinks so. But what did the crime team find? Dr. Elizabetta Boaretto at the Weizmann Institute radiocarbon 14 C–dated the tablet, using samples of patina from the inscription. Patina is the coating that builds up on ancient objects over long periods of time. The main component of the patina in the inscription is calcium carbonate (CaCO3), called calcite by geochemists. Calcite contains carbon, which can be 14C tested. Dr. Boaretto reported that the patina dates to 390–200 BC. This makes it tempting to declare the tablet authentic, but 14C dating is not...
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