Visible induced luminescence reveals invisible rays shining from Christ in the early Christian wall painting of the Transfiguration in Shivta

<div><p>The Transfiguration scene depicted in a Byzantine church at Shivta, Israel, is one of two figurative examples of the scene from the early Christian period. The use of Egyptian blue pigment in the wall painting was investigated with various analytical methods. Visible Induced Luminescence (VIL) imaging was used <i>in-situ</i> in order to map the distribution of the Egyptian blue pigment in the painting. The VIL imaging revealed surprising insights into the understanding of the iconography and the technology of this rare painting. Previously undetected elements of the painting include rays of light that were discovered emerging from the body of Christ and illuminating the other figures in the painting. Although this motif is an important part of the Transfiguration narrative and appears in most of its scenes depicted elsewhere, it had not been previously identified in this painting as it was undetectable by any other inspection technique. Another important result is the identification of Egyptian blue as a common blue pigment used at Shivta during the Byzantine period, when it is considered to be very rare.</p></div

Superimposed image of the southern apse.

<p>This image shows a photograph of the entire painting combined with the VIL image with emphasized digital reconstruction of the outlines of the figures and the motifs. This combined image shows for the first time the invisible and visible details together and reveals the original composition of the scene (Photo: R. Linn, 2016).</p

VIL image of the southern apse and the painted area.

<p>The VIL imaging of the upper part of the apse reveals very substantial details that are invisible to the naked eye and have never been detected before. The numbers indicate the rays of light. The stone blocks contour was added in order to give a better orientation where the rays and figures are located in the apse (Photo: R. Linn, 2016).</p

Location map of Shivta and view of the apses of the southern church.

<p>General view of the three apses of the southern church at Shivta (2a) (Photo: R. Linn, 2016). Map of the area of Shivta (2b).</p

Location of Egyptian blue in the figures of the Transfiguration at Shivta and its significance.

<p>Location of Egyptian blue in the figures of the Transfiguration at Shivta and its significance.</p

The southern apse of the southern church at Shivta.

<p>The painting survived in the upper part of the apse. Note its fragmentary condition and its hardly visible colors and iconography (Photo: R. Linn, 2016). Details of the painting include: 3a: The figure on the left of Christ. 3b: The face of Christ. 3c: The upper head of Peter. 3d: The entire figure of John (note the white star that indicates where sample no. Sh-3 was taken from).</p

The apse mosaic of the Transfiguration scene from St. Catherine monastery in Sinai.

<p>This very well preserved composition of the Transfiguration, shows all its motives. Note the rays of light that emerge from Christ to the other figures. Reprinted from: George H. Forsyth and Kurt Weitzmann, The Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai: The Church and Fortress of Justinian; plate CIII. Under a CC BY license, with permission from: The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 1973.</p

Instrumental analysis results.

<p>a: Micrograph of a cross-section of sample Sh-3 that was taken from the back of John, showing the Egyptian blue particles as a lower paint layer below two other paint layers–yellow in the middle and pink as the upper paint layer. This area looks pink to the observer (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0185149#pone.0185149.g003" target="_blank">Fig 3D</a>) (Photo: R. Linn, 2016). b: Raman spectrum of Egyptian blue with peaks at 431, 573, 788 and 1089 cm^-1.</p

VIL image of the lower right part of the Transfiguration wall painting.

<p>The image shows the intense emission of areas painted with Egyptian blue, which appear in very bright white (Photo: R. Linn, 2016).</p

A micromammalian fauna from a Byzantine columbarium Near Be'er Sheva, Israel (text in English)

This is a short report describing an assemblage of micromammalian remains retrieved from a Byzantine period structure in the Negev region of Israel. It includes a short preliminary text (in English), two figures and a table. A table of taxonomic composition with Latin scientific names of taxa is included. The same file is also available for download in Hebrew