Children Participated in Ancient Clay Figurine Creation in Levant 15,000 Years Ago
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that children, some under ten, helped create clay figurines in the Levant 15,000 years ago. Analysis of 154 Natufian artifacts revealed fingerprints indicating active participation in shaping and painting. This discovery, predating agriculture, suggests a sustained tradition of clay art and the intergenerational transfer of cultural skills. The figurines, including birds possibly representing seasonal behavior, show early artistic and symbolic expression.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Children as young as ten helped create clay figurines in the Levant 15,000 years ago, predating agriculture.
- Hebrew University archaeologists analyzed 154 Natufian clay artifacts from three sites in Israel.
- Fingerprint analysis shows both adults and children actively shaped and painted the ancient figurines.
- The findings represent the earliest evidence of a sustained tradition of clay plastic art in Southwest Asia.
- Some figurines depict birds with postures possibly related to mating behavior and seasonal knowledge.
- One 15,000-year-old figurine is the earliest known example of using colored clay layers.
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that children as young as ten years old participated in creating clay figurines in the Levant region approximately 15,000 years ago, long before the advent of agriculture and pottery. The study, published in PLOS ONE, analyzed 154 Natufian clay artifacts from three sites in modern-day Israel: Einan (Ain Mallaha) in the Hula Valley, the terrace of Hayonim Cave in the Western Galilee, and the terrace of el-Wad Cave on Mount Carmel.
Among the analyzed items were 15 recognizable figurines and 139 cylindrical fragments. This represents the earliest evidence of a sustained tradition of clay plastic art in Southwest Asia. The Natufians inhabited the region between roughly 15,000 and 11,650 years ago and were among the first in Southwest Asia to adopt a settled or semi-settled lifestyle.
Microscopic analysis of fingerprints on the artifacts revealed that both adults and children, some likely under ten, were involved in sculpting. One anthropomorphic figurine displayed two superimposed prints, one from a young woman and another from a child, suggesting the object was passed between them during creation, possibly as part of a learning process. The placement of children's prints indicated they were not just touching the clay but actively shaping and even painting the items.
"These findings change our understanding of the origins of art in the region," stated co-author Dr. Laurent Davin. "Thousands of years before agriculture, people were already creating clay figures related to their beliefs and knowledge of nature. It is particularly interesting that children participated in their creation. Cultural skills were passed down from generation to generation."
Eleven of the 15 figurines depict birds, primarily ducks and geese. Some bird figurines are shown with their heads lowered and turned left, a posture observed in ducks during mating season, suggesting the figures may have encoded knowledge about animal behavior and seasonal changes. Several figurines also retained traces of a thin layer of colored clay, with one 15,000-year-old figurine being the earliest known example of this technique.
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