The man of the Shroud has over 50 puncture wounds across his head and the nape of his neck. These wounds are distinct from the scourge marks. They show that a crown of thorns was smashed into his head.

This crown was more like a cap or a helmet, made to puncture the entire skull with maximum pain.

Blood flowed freely from these wounds. One of the most recognizable features on the Shroud is the large blood stain in the shape of the number 3 on the man’s forehead.

Near the hairline, there are two small trickles of blood – likely from an injury to the superficial temporal artery. On the back of the head, the deep puncture words tell a grim story: the thorns probably cut all the way into the occipital artery and deep veins.

What kind of thorn could puncture the head like this? Pollen evidence on the Shroud points to plants that grow near Jerusalem — either the Ziziphus spina-christi or the Gudelia Tourneforti.  Both plants bloom in the spring and have large, sharp thorns.

Only two people in recorded history were both crowned with thorns and crucified: Jesus of Nazareth and the man of the Shroud.