We are happy to announce Dr. Aysel Arslan's new article published in TJAS / Turkish Journal of Archaeological Sciences issue 3 in February 2023.
The article "Studying Fingerprints in Archaeology: Potentials and Limitations of Paleodermatoglyphics as an Archaeometric Method" evaluates various methods applied to fingerprints found on clay objects in archaeological contexts. Please go here to read and download the article.
Studying Fingerprints in Archaeology: Potentials and Limitations of Paleodermatoglyphics as an Archaeometric Method
Abstract
Fingerprints are commonly found in archaeology, especially on objects made of clay such as pottery and figurines. It is possible to gain information about the individuals who left these prints through paleodermatoglyphics, the study of ancient fingerprints. This field of study combines forensic anthropology with archaeology and is useful in estimating the age and sex of the individuals who left the fingerprints as well as finding matching sets of fingerprints. These analyses have the potential to illuminate the nature of labor division in past societies. This article introduces paleodermatoglyphics and discusses its potentials and limitations as an archaeometric method.
Image: Fingerprints on corrugated vessels from the Blue J Ancestral Puebloan community (Kantner et al. 2019, Fig. 3).