A 4,000-year-old handprint has been uncovered on a clay model destined for an Egyptian tomb, during preparations for a new exhibition at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum. The complete imprint, described as “rare and exciting”, is thought to have been left by the maker of the item before the clay had fully dried. The clay model, known as a “soul house”, dates from around 2055–1650 BCE and was crafted to serve as part of a burial offering.
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The soul house features an open front area where symbolic food offerings were placed – in this case, loaves of bread, a lettuce and the head of an ox. These models were believed either to serve as offering trays or to provide a symbolic home for the soul of the deceased within the tomb. Helen Strudwick, senior Egyptologist at the museum, said it was highly unusual to find such a complete handprint on an Egyptian artefact and noted that it likely belonged to the artisan who constructed the model.
Strudwick, also curator of the museum’s forthcoming Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition, said: “This discovery gives us a direct link to the maker of the object. You can picture them lifting it to dry before firing – it’s a very human moment frozen in time.” Analysis indicates the structure was first built using wooden sticks, later coated in wet clay, with staircases shaped by pinching the surface. The wood was burnt away in the kiln, leaving the clay framework intact.
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The complete handprint was found beneath the model, likely made when the potter or another craftsperson handled the item in its unfinished state. The soul house forms part of a larger exploration of daily craftsmanship in ancient Egypt, and will go on public display when Made in Ancient Egypt opens at the Fitzwilliam Museum on 3 October. The exhibition highlights the human stories behind ancient objects, focusing on how and by whom they were made.
