Inside the tomb Peter sees the linen cloths lying there and a separate cloth that had been around Jesus' head. John takes care to describe the two kinds of burial material and their positions.
Jesus in Context
The Linen Cloths and the Soudarion
The empty tomb still contains Jesus' linen burial wrappings and a separate head cloth, but John's wording does not support the popular legend of a neatly folded napkin signaling that a master intended to return.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
The plural othonia refers to linen burial cloths or wrappings. The soudarion was a smaller cloth, here specifically associated with Jesus' head. The Greek participle describing it can mean wrapped, rolled, or folded up, and John says it was in a separate place. A popular modern story claims that a 'folded napkin' was a Jewish servant-master signal meaning the master would return; there is no sound ancient evidence for that custom, and it should not be read into the passage.
Why It Matters
John's point is stronger when his actual details are allowed to stand. Jesus' body is gone while burial materials remain inside the known tomb.
The arrangement contributes to the evidence encountered by the disciples without requiring an invented secret cultural code.