Publication details
Dermatoglyphics of ancient ceramics
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2005 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | We analysed 2635 fired clay objects discovered at the site of Pavlov I (Upper Palaeolithic, Pavlovian culture, ca. 25-26 700 years B.P.). The material in this study includes worked and unworked pieces (pellets) of fired clay. A total of possible 48 imprints with epidermal ridges were recorded on 29 objects. A comparison with recent samples indicates that the epidermal ridge breadth of the Palaeolithic fingerprints is most similar to fingerprint assemblages of children between the ages of 6 to 10, and to males and females between the ages of 10 to 15. Even if conceivable limitations and biases are taken into account the sample of the ancient fingerprints cannot belong predominantly to adult males. As the ceramic types vary within the Palaeolithic sample, a possible interpretation is that some of the clay shapes could have been associated with female magic/ritual actions and that some were the result of childrens play and creativity. |