26 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

5000-year-old fingerprint found in Orkney pottery

Fingerprints were found on a pottery dating back 5,000 years in the Orkney archipelago, located in the northern region of Scotland, which has the oldest historical settlements on the European continent.

In Orkney, a fingerprint left by a potter 5,000 years ago was discovered on a clay vessel.

Archaeologists have been excavating the complex of ancient buildings in the center of the Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site since 2006. Many finds were found during these excavations. The last of these was the fingerprint on the piece of pottery. The fingerprint was discovered on a surviving fragment of the object at the Ness of Brodgar archaeological site.

Ness of Brodgar is the most important excavation site of the Archaeological Institute of the University of Highlands and Islands (UHI).

Detected by fingerprint imaging technology

The fingerprint left after the potter pressed a finger into wet clay was revealed using imaging technology.

Roy Towers, a ceramics specialist, noticed the potter’s fingerprint while examining a sherd – a fragment – of pottery from a massive assemblage of clay pieces recovered from the site – the largest collection of late Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery in the UK.

The suspected print was verified using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI).

Multiple images of the same subject are taken, each with a different regulated light source.

Fingerprint
A fingerprint left on a clay vessel made by a potter 5,000 years ago has been found in Orkney. Photo: JAN BLATCHFORD

These are combined with computer software to produce a highly detailed model of the object that can be illuminated from all angles and studied closely on screen. The resulting images often reveal surface details not visible during a normal examination.

The age and gender of the potter can be determined with fingerprints

Jan Blatchford’s RTI work verified and registered the only fingerprint found at the Ness of Brodgar in this case.

UHI said ancient fingerprints were not uncommon and research had been carried out into them for a number of years.

Archaeologists hope analysis of the Ness of Brodgar fingerprint will reveal the gender and age of the potter.

Excavation director Nick Card said: “Working on such a high-status site as the Ness of Brodgar, with its beautiful buildings and stunning range of artefacts, it can be all too easy to forget about the people behind this incredible complex.

“But this discovery really does bring these people back into focus.

“Although finding the fingerprint impression won’t hugely impact our work, it does give us a highly personal, poignant connection to the people of Neolithic Orkney, 5,000 years ago.”

Source: BBC

Related Articles

New study reveals unique characteristics and complex origins of late Bronze Age swords discovered in the Balearic Islands

25 November 2024

25 November 2024

A recent study uncovered a wealth of new information regarding the production, material makeup, and cultural significance of Late Bronze...

3 Bronze Shields and Helmet of 2700 Years Old Belonging to Urartians Found in Ayanis Castle

8 September 2024

8 September 2024

Three bronze shields and a bronze helmet dedicated to Haldi, the chief god of the Urartians, were discovered during excavations...

A Gold Belt Weighing 432 Grams Unearthed During Excavations in Ani Ruins is on Display

2 July 2024

2 July 2024

The gold belt discovered 22 years ago during excavations in the ancient city of Ani, often referred to as the...

1400-year-old gold foil figures found in pagan temple

19 September 2023

19 September 2023

Archaeologists have discovered a votive gold hoard during road development works in Vingrom, south of Lillehammer on the shores of...

Archaeologists discovered medieval Bury St Edmunds Abbey ‘Bishop Boy’ token in Norfolk

19 December 2023

19 December 2023

Archaeologists have discovered token in Norfolk in the East of England, dating from between 1470 and 1560, given to the...

Archaeologists discover a hidden Maya burial chamber in the walled enclosure of Tulum

28 December 2023

28 December 2023

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered a hidden Maya burial chamber concealed within a...

Japan-Persia Ancient Ties

20 June 2021

20 June 2021

Japanese and Persian ancient ties go back to the 7th century. Silk Road connected Japan with countries and regions far...

Bronze Age Ceremonial Sword Found in Håre in Vestfyn will be on Display Soon

13 March 2021

13 March 2021

Archaeologists excavating the village of Håre on the island of Funen in Denmark have discovered an ornate Bronze Age sword...

2,000-year-old bamboo slips discovered in Yunnan

31 March 2023

31 March 2023

Thousands of bamboo slips (rectangles tied together to form books) have been discovered at the Hebosuo archaeological site in southwestern...

Early Roman Aqueduct Discovered in Turkey’s Aydın Province

27 May 2021

27 May 2021

In the Kuşadasi region of western Turkey’s Aydin, archaeologists and scholars unearthed an approximately 2,000-year-old ancient Roman aqueduct. Experts believe...

The Largest Circular Tomb of the Ancient World Is Opening

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

The restoration of Augustus’ colossal tomb, which is expected to be opened in 2014, has been completed. The Augustus mausoleum...

An ancient melon genome from Libya reveals interesting insights regarding watermelon relatives

2 August 2022

2 August 2022

The earliest known seeds from a watermelon related were discovered during an archaeological dig in Libya, going back 6,000 years...

In Poland, a 45-meter-long mysterious tunnel found under the ruins of the Saxon Palace

9 September 2023

9 September 2023

A mysterious underground tunnel was found under the ruins of the Saski Palace in Pilsudski Square in Warsaw, the capital...

Gold glass ‘Roma’ unearthed in the excavations of the Rome subway

7 February 2023

7 February 2023

A very rare and refined piece of gold glass representing ‘Roma’, the woman symbol of the Eternal City, has been...

Excavations at Meir Necropolis have turned up funerary artifacts from two distinct eras of ancient history

16 May 2023

16 May 2023

An Egyptian team of archaeologists has uncovered a collection of structural relics dated to the Byzantine and Late Period in...