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Ancient Egyptian handprint found on bottom of 4,000-year-old clay model
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 28 – The handprint, left by an artisan during the Middle Kingdom period, offers rare insight into ancient Egyptian craftsmanship and will be featured in a major Cambridge museum exhibition.
- On July 28, 2025, researchers associated with Cambridge University uncovered a 4,000-year-old handprint impressed on the base of a clay "soul house" model used in ancient Egyptian burial practices.
- The handprint was likely created when the maker, possibly the potter, handled the damp soul house to move it out of the workshop so it could dry prior to being fired in a kiln, dating the artifact to approximately 2055–1650 BCE.
- The soul house is a two-storey clay model resembling a building with an open front used for placing food offerings like bread, lettuce, and an ox's head in ancient Egyptian tombs.
- Helen Strudwick, senior Egyptologist and curator, described the full handprint as an unusual and thrilling find, noting that it likely belongs to the individual who handled the piece while transferring it from the workspace to dry before it was fired.
- The handprint and soul house will be featured in the Fitzwilliam Museum’s Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition opening October 3, highlighting the craftsmen and creation moments behind ancient Egyptian artifacts.
42 Articles
42 Articles
The impression was discovered by a restorer of the Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge University after reviewing one of the pieces that will be part of the exhibition Made in Ancient Egypt. "When I saw it with my own eyes, I was amazed," said Helen Strudwick about the finding; "I had never seen such a complete handprint." Named "houses of souls," these miniature sculptures characteristic of the Middle Empire (about 2055-1650 BC) shaped like buildin…
UK museum finds ancient handprint on Egypt tomb
British researchers have discovered a rare handprint on a 4,000-year-old Egyptian artefact, a Cambridge museum said on Monday. The ancient handprint was found by museum conservators on the base of an Egyptian soul house -- a clay offering tray in the shape of a building which may have been used in tombs for laying out food offerings or as a dwelling for souls. The unique discovery was made after the piece, crafted between 2055-1650 BC, was exami…
4,000-Year-Old Handprint Found on Egyptian Burial Model in Cambridge
Ancient soul house, Egypt. Credit: Geni / CC-BY-SA 4.0 Researchers at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge have identified a 4,000-year-old handprint on the underside of an ancient Egyptian clay burial model. The rare imprint was spotted on a miniature “soul house,” originally excavated in Egypt and dating to the Middle Kingdom. The model shows the craftsmanship of ancient artisans The model, dated between 2055 and 1650 BCE, depicts a two-story b…
Printed a palm, left some 4,000 years ago on an clay artifact created to be introduced into an Egyptian tomb, was discovered during the preparation of an exhibition at a British museum.
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