Rare 4,000 year-old handprint found in ancient Egyptian tomb

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a 4,000-year-old handprint on an ancient Egyptian tomb offering that curators were preparing for an exhibition, the BBC reported on Monday.

Curator Helen Strudwick said the complete handprint, which dates from 2055 to 1650 BC, was “a rare and exciting” find. The ceramic will go on display as part of the university’s Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, opening on October 3rd.

“We’ve spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house,” said the senior Egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Never seen anything like it

“This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried,” she added. “I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before.”

The handprint was likely made when someone, possibly the potter, moved the house out of the workshop to dry before firing it in a kiln, according to the researchers. The stories of Egyptian rulers, like Tutankhamun, have drawn significant interest, but the makers of the artefacts themselves are often overlooked.

Made in Ancient Egypt aims to reveal who these people were, how they perceived themselves, and what other Egyptians thought of them.

Cambridge University researchers discovered a handprint pressed into one side of a “soul house,” a clay model resembling a building that can be traced back to ancient Egyptian burials, according to the British Museum.

Revealing untold stories like never before

“The soul house is a clay model building typically found in Egyptian burials that functioned as offering trays or places for deceased souls to live within tombs. This example featured an open-front space where food items were displayed, including bread, lettuce, and an ox’s head,” the Museum and Heritage said.

The Soul House exhibition will “reveal untold stories of the Egyptian makers, technology and techniques behind these extraordinary objects,” the researchers said. “Our exciting new exhibition is the first to explore ancient Egypt through the lives of its craftspeople,” reads a description of the exhibit on the museum’s website, which notes that the display will feature jewellery, ceramics, sculptural pieces and some “spectacular objects never before seen” in the UK.