Usability of fingerprints on ancient objects
Upvote:9
A Google search for "fingerprints on ancient artifacts" is actually pretty fruitful. The study of ancient fingerprints appears to be called "paleodermatoglyphics." (This article introduces the topic a bit.)
There is at least one issue of a journal related to this available for free online: The Journal of Ancient Fingerprints. It says:
"Fingerprints have been found even on the world's oldest ceramics -- on pellets and figurines from Dolní Věstonice and Pavlov in South Moravia. They were fired in the Upper Paleolithic period about 25,000 years ago." (p. 6)
When you say "Do ancient fingerprints reveal any significant information, considering the fact that they are of ancient people like a new info on human evolution by comparison with the present ones?" I'm not 100% certain what you're asking, but note that even Neanderthal fingerprints have been found:
"The oldest known fingerprint was imprinted on an organic sub- stance originally described as a resin. From recent chemical analyses we know that this material is an artificial adhesive (glue) made from birch bark, which was used by a Paleolithic inhabitant of the Königsaue region (Halle, Germany) to glue a flint artifact to a wooden haft. The dating of this item to the Middle Paleolithic suggests that the fingerprint belongs to a Neanderthal." (p. 6)
There's quite a bit more in the journal about methods, examples, etc. Fingerprints on ancient artifacts have told archaeologists how items were made ("A fingerprint close to the base of a Cypriotic Bronze Age bowl from Enkomi showed the archaeologist that the potter held the bowl with his hands when it was dipped in paint" (p. 19)) or who made them ("This [ridge breadth measurement] method has been used on the world’s oldest ceramics, ca 25,000–35,000 BP, from Dolní Věstonice. Measurements on 56 fingerprints from 29 sherds showed that the imprints had been made by 12 year old children" (p.20)).
More post
- 📝 Did Poland help Germany take Czechoslavakia before Germany invaded Poland?
- 📝 Why didn't the participants of the Korean War also fight in the Vietnam War?
- 📝 Was the act of servicemen exchanging their weapons for enemy weapons common during WWII?
- 📝 Did Princess Diana ever talk about her alleged Armenian descent?
- 📝 How effective are rope helmets as protection?
- 📝 Trying to identify a military uniform, ca. WWI
- 📝 Ancient Greek or Roman Teenaged Suicide for Glory
- 📝 In the US Civil War, what factors contributed to the Union having such a numerical advantage over the Confederacy?
- 📝 Women in the Iranian revolution
- 📝 Is it true that there was no such thing as a Hispanic-owned bank in the continental USA until 1969?
- 📝 What crops were part of the medieval spring harvest?
- 📝 Why does the M61 Vulcan have a flash suppressor?
- 📝 Looking for a people where the “traditional” gender roles are shifted
- 📝 Did any of these artists ever meet?
- 📝 Before the Land Bridge Theory, how was human presence in the Americas explained?
- 📝 Was India's independence inevitable after Cripps Mission?
- 📝 Who first wrote about deafness?
- 📝 What was the main role of alcoholic drinks in ancient to medieval times?
- 📝 How does a heraldic eagle become a nazi symbol?
- 📝 How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
- 📝 Which calendar numbering system did the Franks use?
- 📝 Identification of type of aircraft and time period
- 📝 Has the US army ever fought an urban battle?
- 📝 Why do land mines seem to be a more serious problem in the Balkans than the Alps?
- 📝 Has the drought also revealed ancient structures in France as it did in Ireland?
- 📝 Was the Minoan civilization warlike?
- 📝 What uniform is this man wearing (circa 1940's)?
- 📝 How did people categorize each other in the middle ages, how did racism work?
- 📝 How much materiel was shipped to Continental Europe per month, after D-Day?
- 📝 Was George Washington the thirteenth president?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Usability of fingerprints on ancient objects
- 📝 Why, in ancient battles, did being encircled mean defeat?
- 📝 Did the ancient Greeks ever climb Mt. Olympus?
- 📝 How did people distinguish slaves from free people in Ancient Rome?
- 📝 Did ancient peoples ever hide their treasure behind puzzles?
- 📝 Were ancient ships named?
- 📝 In ancient Rome, could free-born Romans become slaves?
- 📝 When did worshipping of ancient Greek gods come to an end?
- 📝 How did they cook on ancient ships?
- 📝 Aside from the Pyramids, what is the tallest man-made structure still standing in Europe & the Near East from ancient times?
- 📝 How do ancient Chinese "mirrors" such as these in the National Museum function?
- 📝 How did the ancient Romans count with their fingers?
- 📝 Earliest evidence of objects intended for future archaeologists?
- 📝 Did anyone in ancient times want to abolish slavery?
- 📝 Are modern Greeks related to the ancient Greeks?
- 📝 How did the ancient Greeks synchronize time?
- 📝 What is the difference between the Ancient Greek religion and the Ancient Roman religion?
- 📝 Did ancient Romans anticipate the fall of Rome?
- 📝 When did the term "Nationality" first come into use? How did ancient civilizations refer to themselves? By ethnicity?
- 📝 How prevalent were recreational drugs in the ancient world?
- 📝 How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
- 📝 What evidence is there for chain stores or restaurant chains in Ancient Rome?
- 📝 What is the significance of barley as opposed to wheat in Ancient Rome?
- 📝 How would slaves have addressed their masters in Ancient Greece?
- 📝 If I were a well-to-do ancient Roman, could I make money by investing in the construction of an aqueduct?
- 📝 What is the evidence to claim that political order in ancient Rome was sufficiently different under "kingdom", "republic" and "empire"?
- 📝 How were books published in Ancient Greece?
- 📝 How to explain the apparent discrepancy in the use of papyrus vs. clay tablets between Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia?
- 📝 Is there any evidence of STD's in ancient times?
- 📝 Did the Ancient Egyptians understand the importance of the brain?