Ancient handprint offers rare glimpse into life of Egyptian artisan

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably well-preserved 4,000-year-old handprint on an ancient Egyptian tomb offering, shedding new light on the lives of everyday craftsmen in ancient Egypt, according to a BBC report.

Dating from 2055 to 1650 BC, the handprint was found on a “soul house”—a clay model of a house commonly included in burials to provide sustenance and shelter for the deceased in the afterlife.

Curator and Egyptologist Helen Strudwick of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK, described the discovery as “rare and exciting,” noting it captures a moment frozen in time.

“This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried,” she explained.

The artifact will be featured in a new exhibition titled “Made in Ancient Egypt,” opening at the Fitzwilliam on October 3rd. The show highlights the often-overlooked artisans behind the country’s iconic monuments and burial goods.

The exhibition focuses on the working lives of potters and craftsmen during the era of the pharaohs—individuals typically regarded as low status. This is reflected in ancient writings such as the Teaching of Khet, a text that disparagingly compared potters to “pigs in mud.”

While figures like Tutankhamun have dominated public fascination, curators hope this exhibit will redirect attention to the skilled, anonymous hands that shaped ancient Egypt’s cultural legacy.