Ancient Clay Figurines Bear Fingerprints of Children
Natufian sculptures from what is now Israel preserve prints from women, children, and some men, suggesting shared clay-making.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Social Sciences
Archaeologists report that fragmented clay figurines from Natufian sites in what is now Israel, dating as far back as 15,000 years, preserve fingerprints of adults and young children. The findings were published in PLOS One on November 11.
Why it matters
The prints suggest that making clay art was a communal activity in which adults taught children to shape and decorate clay, offering a window into early social learning. The research was aimed at determining whether Natufian culture produced clay art before agriculture arrived in the region.
The evidence is fingerprint analysis of clay pieces, in which the spacing between ridges, influenced by age and sex, was used to estimate who shaped them. About 60 of roughly 150 sculpture fragments carry prints from a 40-kilogram sample collected at three sites dating 15,000 to 11,600 years old. Researchers have not stated how confidently individual makers can be identified.
The players
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A major public research university in Jerusalem whose archaeologists lead much of the study of the ancient Levant.
Grand Valley State University
A public university in Allendale, Michigan, whose archaeologist commented on the findings and their broader significance.
The details
The team sorted 40 kilograms of clay from three Natufian sites and identified 15 recognizable bird, gazelle, and human figures. Most statues are about 2 centimeters long, and the torso of one tiny human figure bears both adult and child fingerprints.
Timeline
15,000 years ago: Earliest Natufian clay figurines date from this period.
About 14,000 years ago: Natufian culture formed some of the first permanent Levant settlements.
11,600 years ago: The youngest of the three Natufian sites dates from this period.
November 11, 2026: Findings were published in PLOS One.
Big Picture
The Natufian culture of the Levant, which formed some of the first permanent settlements around 14,000 years ago, is the reference point for these figurines. The discovery extends what is known about its material culture by showing clay art predating the arrival of agriculture in the region, and it adds evidence that shaping objects was a shared, intergenerational practice within that society.
The findings show how skills such as shaping and decorating objects were passed from adults to children in early societies, a pattern that can inform how researchers reconstruct early education. The work is still at the stage of published analysis, and its methods may be applied to other archaeological collections.
The takeaway
Early childhood learning may have been a shared, hands-on activity, with children absorbing techniques by working alongside adults. Researchers can use fingerprint analysis to uncover these everyday teaching moments in the archaeological record.
Further reading
For more on how archaeologists study early human social life, explore our Social Sciences section.
