A new analysis of 15,000-year-old clay figurines discovered in Israel, including animal figures with traces of ancient colorings, has revealed an artistic tradition thousands of years earlier than previously believed, pushing back the accepted emergence of artistic expression in Southwest Asia further into prehistory.
The new analysis also found traces of adult fingerprints overlaying child-sized fingerprints on the surface of some of the oldest figurines, suggesting adult-supervised instruction thousands of years before the first organized agricultural societies existed.
15,000-Year-Old Clay Figurines Made Thousands of Years Before Agriculture
According to a statement announcing the potentially historic discovery, archaeologists have long known that hunter-gatherer communities lived in and around Southwest Asia near the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 15,000 years ago. Among the most prominent was the Natufian culture, which was among the first to make small clay figurines.
Still, most previous examples were made in the later stages of the Natufian period, which ranged from 15,000 to 11,650 years ago. Some are among the oldest known examples of artistic expression in early humans.
The discoveries were made at three Natufian sites: Eynan-Mallaha in the Upper Jordan Valley, Hayonim Terrace in the Galilee, and el-Wad Terrace on Mount Carmel. This included what the researchers described as “previously overlooked clay fragments, identifying fingerprints, tool marks and traces of coloring,” on several ancient objects, including clay figurines.
“Thousands of years before agriculture emerged, people were already using clay to create figures, as part of their beliefs and knowledge of the natural world,” explained study leader Dr. Laurent Davin from Hebrew University.
Natufian Artworks Represent Animals and Humans
According to Davin and co-study leaders, Professor Leore Grosman and Professor Anna Belfer-Cohen from Hebrew University, the new effort examined 154 clay figurative artifacts from three Natufian sites in Israel. The examination included 15 figurines that the team described as “recognizable,” including examples of animals. The lot also included 139 cylindrical figurine fragments that the researchers suggested may have “formed parts of figures,” lost to history.
Among the 15 recognizable figurines, the team identified 11 examples of birds. The other three included two human figurines, a gazelle, and another that the team described as a “mammal.”
Notably, while some bird figures were more rudimentary, the team noted that others included “carefully marked wings, tails and feathers.” Some appeared to represent ducks and geese; however, others appear to represent birds of prey.
Certain figurines also depict birds with heads tilted downward and to the left. The research team said this posture may represent a courtship display ducks perform during mating season. While not definitive proof of an informational exchange, the team said this depiction “raises the possibility” that the figurines were not merely decorative but may have had an instructive role.
“They may have conveyed knowledge about animal behavior, seasonal changes and the natural world, potentially playing a role in storytelling and cultural traditions,” they explained.
Objects May Have Performed Educational Functions
When the researchers performed a microscopic analysis of the artifacts, they made another discovery suggesting the ancient clay figurines may have been used for more than simple decoration: children’s fingerprints overlaying adults’.
The analysis also concluded that the children who left the fingerprints behind were likely younger than ten, suggesting they may have been receiving instruction on making the figurines or the animals and people they represent.
“What is particularly fascinating is the evidence that children were involved in making these objects, suggesting that creativity and cultural knowledge were shared across generations,” Davin explained.
The team also noted that a prepubescent child’s fingerprint on top of an adult’s, left while the clay was still being shaped, suggests the object “may have been passed between an older individual and a child during its creation.”
“The children’s fingerprints were not simply accidental marks,” the researchers explained, adding that their placement suggests the children “actively participated in shaping” the figurines.
During a surface examination, the researchers found traces of red coloring on several ancient Natufian clay figurines. The team also found evidence of a process in which a thin layer of colored clay is added to an object, called “engobe.”
Notably, this process was detected on a clay figurine dating to 15,000 years before present. The team said this date would represent the “earliest known evidence” of this ancient coloring technique.
Development of Sophisticated Artistic Expression
When discussing the significance of the findings, Dr. Davin and colleagues noted that unlike other ancient artworks carved in bone or stone, clay allowed these ancient artists to build, shape, and decorate their creations over time. Given the ancient time they were created, the researchers said the figurines represent “an important technological and artistic development.”
“These discoveries change how we understand the beginnings of artistic expression in this region,” said Davin, adding that the findings challenge the longstanding view that major advances in human symbolic expression emerged alongside the advent of agriculture.
“Instead, they suggest that early hunter-gatherer communities were already developing sophisticated artistic traditions in the first villages of humanity, sharing knowledge across generations and finding new ways to represent the world around them,” the team concluded.
Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.