Fingerprints on Egyptian Terracotta Figurines Show Organization of Labor

Ancient fingerprints found on terracotta figurines from the ancient port city of Thonis-Heracleion, are being studied by an Oxford University Ph.D. student, to reveal the age and sex of the craftspeople – and it turns out that this included men, women, and children! Dating back to the Late and Ptolemaic periods (7th-2nd centuries BC), the research marks only the second ever attempt to research ancient Egyptian fingerprint impressions.

The first such study and methodology to employ Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) technology has been led by Ph.D. student Leonie Hoff from the University of Oxford and has been published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology. Through excavations conducted in the 1990s, a total of 60 terracotta figurines were retrieved, including nine which exhibited well-preserved fingerprints.

Greco Influence and Subverting Masculine Expectations

Who crafted these figurines? This data has historically eluded historians and archaeologists as Egyptian figures were produced from Nile silt, which was unsuitable for intricate work and detailing. By the time the Greeks came to Egypt in the 7th century BC, the craftspeople refined their techniques to be able to make detailed figurines more in line with Greek production.

It was thought, as is the case in most cultures, that the craftspeople were people of lower social status, and male, like in Greece. This has turned out to be an erroneous assumption, and the new data shows us a new organization of labor not documented before in these parts.

The process of making the figurines was in two broad steps, both of which involved leaving residual fingerprints. Firstly, wet clay sheets were pressed into molds; secondly, as the molds partially dried, the two halves were joined together to form complete figurines.

Silicone-molded replica of the imprints discovered at the site, featuring measurements for ridge breadths (lines) and ridge densities (squares). (Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation/Oxford Journal of Archaeology)

“For my material, identifying specific individuals is currently not possible due to the mostly fragmentary state and also the fact that the figurines are not from exactly the same date. However, there is some work on an assemblage of Roman lamps from the Levant where the same individual could be identified on multiple objects, so in theory, this is certainly possible with archaeological material. It just depends on whether the material is coherent in terms of date and how fragmentary the imprints are,” provided Hoff as per a press release.

Hoff conducted ridge density analyses on the fingerprints: findings indicated that female fingerprints typically displayed a higher ridge density compared to male prints in the same area. The recorded data was juxtaposed against ridge density patterns observed in modern-day Egyptian populations in a bid to determine the sex of the artisan.

The Addition of Children: A Highly Intricate Production Model

Age too was assessed by measuring ridge breadth; children generally possess thinner ridges than adults. Using this data, Hoff categorized the fingerprints into those belonging to children, sub-adults and adults. It was difficult and nearly impossible to determine the sex of the children though.

“I was perhaps initially a little surprised to find such clear evidence of children’s involvement, but it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it since this type of work lends itself to the involvement of children, and ethnographical evidence confirms the involvement of children cross-culturally in potteries,” says a surprised Hoff.

All in all, approximately 14 distinct individuals were identified in the production of the figurines. Whether they worked on multiple figurines or not is still unclear. Hoff’s data suggests an almost equal participation of men and women in in figurine production, with women having the slight edge in numbers. The study subverts earlier assumptions that figurine-making was an exclusively male profession.

Hoff also learnt that children were involved in the production of both Greek and Egyptian figurines, but never worked independently. Their fingerprints were found alongside older individuals, which implied that they probably just played a role in pressing the clay sheets into molds, a task suitable for their smaller hands. The pattern of fingerprint placement indicated that children’s prints were confined to within the figurines, while adults’ prints appeared both inside and along the outsides.

“For the site I’m working on, the terracotta material is currently quite limited. I’m hoping that we find more terracotta to be able to add more data to the study,” concludes Hoff, as she’s pressed about moving forward.

Thonis-Heracleion: A Major Port City of Yore

Founded in the eighth century BC, Thonis-Heracleion flourished as a major port city during the Saite and Ptolemaic periods, strategically located along the mouth of the Nile, which facilitated both defense and trade regulation, including the influx of migrants from Greece, reports Archaeology Mag.

The city maintained its prominence until the establishment of Alexandria, which eventually took over as the primary harbor. Following this shift, Thonis-Heracleion gradually fell into decline and was nearly forgotten until its rediscovery in the 1990s.

Top image: Figurine example (H20257) from Thonis-Heracleion, showing close-up fingerprints on its reverse and interior. Source: Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation/Oxford Journal of Archaeology      

By Sahir Pandey