Analysis of fingerprints on a PPNB figurine from the Tell Halula site, Syria

Abstract

With the advent of the Neolithic, the first manipulation of clay for various purposes was observed. Fingerprints could be imprinted due to the plastic properties of clay. Their study and analysis can allow the estimation of the sex and age of the person who left them, thus providing insight into the social organisation of past populations. In the present study, we have analysed the fingerprints that were identified on a figurine representing a bovine animal found at the Neolithic site of Tell Halula in Syria. Tell Halula has a long period of occupation, from the Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) to the Late PPNB, with some of the earliest evidence of monumental and/or collective architecture. To confirm the human origin of the prints, the presence of minutiae was first identified. In order to estimate the sex and age of the individual, both the Mean Epidermal Ridge Breadth and the Ridge Breadth were calculated. The mean ridge widths were 0.52 ± 0.076 for the first fingerprint and 0.50 ± 0.11 for the second fingerprint. The ridge density was found to be 6.5. The results indicated that the maker of the bovine figurine could be an adult male (~18/20 years old), taking both values into account. The results suggest that it is highly likely that the individual who handled the artefact was an adult male. However, given the small number of fingerprints in the Tell Halula figurine collection, little more can be said. Not much can be inferred about social structure and division of labour. There is therefore a need for further research into both the symbolism of the objects and who was responsible for their production.

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