Hollanda Araştırma Enstitüsü  -  Nederlands Instituut in Turkije

5 Feb '24 Lecture

Every Contact Leaves a Trace: Identifying Communities of Clay Object Makers through Ancient Fingerprints

As part of the 2024 ARWA AAA Online Lectures Cycle “Anatolian Identities”, Aysel Arslan (NIT) will present her research on ancient fingerprints on clay objects from Anatolia.

Clay served as a fundamental raw material in the daily lives of Neolithic communities in western Anatolia. Despite extensive research on clay objects, scholarly works on Anatolian Prehistory have been limited in understanding the social aspects of clay object production, such as the organization of labor division and the identities of clay object makers. This research examines these identities in western Anatolia during the seventh and early sixth millennia, examining ancient fingerprints embossed on clay objects to estimate the age and sex of the producers. It aims to discern whether specific adult or child groups were involved in crafting particular types of artifacts. The insights gleaned from this analysis promise to enhance our understanding of how Neolithic communities in western Anatolia perceived gender and age.

The lecture will be online. Please go to the meeting link below or scan the QR code on the poster. The lecture will be recorded and posted on ARWA's YouTube channel a few days later.

Date: 8 February 2024, Thursday
Time: 18.00 - 19.00 (Istanbul time)
Meeting Link: Here
Meeting ID: 864 5870 5675
Passcode: 102232