A groundbreaking discovery of 142 beads and pendants from five archaeological sites in Israel’s Natufian period (15,000 to 11,650 years ago) indicates that clay was first utilized for symbolic purposes and identity rather than for tools or cooking. Remarkably, many of these artifacts bear the fingerprints of children, suggesting that young makers played a vital role in this ancient artistry. These findings illuminate the origins of art, education, and social expression well before the advent of agriculture.
Late Natufian period butterfly clay beads from Einan Maraha in the upper Jordan Valley. Colored ocher red and bearing the fingerprints of a child (approximately 10 years old) who crafted it 12,000 years ago. Image credit: Laurent Davin.
“This discovery fundamentally alters our understanding of the relationship between clay, symbolism, and the emergence of sedentary life,” stated Laurent Davin, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The study analyzed a collection of 142 beads and pendants from five Natufian sites, revealing over 3,000 years of continuous occupation.
Each bead, small enough to fit in a child’s hand, was meticulously shaped into cylinders, disks, and ovals using unbaked clay.
Many beads featured a coating of red ocher applied using a technique called engobe, signifying the oldest known usage of this coloring method.
The extensive variety and quantity of beads discovered indicate that this was not an isolated venture but rather a rich cultural tradition.
Evidence suggests that clay served as a medium for visual communication long before being utilized for practical objects like bowls and jars.
The researchers identified 19 distinct bead types, many inspired by plants central to Natufian life, including wild barley, einkorn wheat, lentils, and peas—key crops that would later form the foundation of agriculture.
Fascinatingly, traces of plant fibers found on several beads provide insights into how these ornaments were worn and strung, highlighting organic materials that typically vanish from the archaeological record.
This eclectic collection strongly implies that nature, especially the plant kingdom, served not only as a food source but also as a foundation for cultural significance.
Perhaps the most astonishing revelation comes from the fingerprints preserved on the beads. A total of 50 prints were recovered, allowing scientists to identify the ages of their makers—children, youths, and adults alike.
This marks the first instance where archaeologists have successfully identified the creators of Paleolithic ornaments, showcasing the largest collection of fingerprints from this era.
Some artifacts appear to have been designed for children, such as a small clay ring measuring only 10 mm in diameter.
This suggests that crafting ornaments was a prevalent activity, playing an essential role in learning, imitation, and the transfer of social values through generations.
For decades, researchers believed that the symbolic use of clay in Southwest Asia arose solely from agricultural practices and Neolithic lifestyles.
This pivotal study, alongside the recent discovery of clay figurines at Nahal Ein Geb II, challenges that assumption.
Instead, it indicates that a symbolic revolution began during the early phases of sedentarization, when communities were transitioning to settled lifestyles while still hunting and gathering.
Clay ornaments emerged as a means of visual and public expression of identity, belonging, and social connections.
“These objects reveal that significant social and cognitive transformations were already taking place,” noted Leore Grossman, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“The roots of the Neolithic period run deeper than we once realized.”
“By documenting one of the world’s oldest traditions of clay decoration, our study repositions the Natufians not just as agricultural pioneers, but as innovative cultural personalities who employed clay to convey their identities and aspirations.” Read the full study, published in the journal Science Advances.
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Laurent Davin et al. 2026. Modeling identity in the first settled communities: The emergence of clay ornaments in Paleolithic Southwest Asia. Science Advances 12(12); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aea2158
Source: www.sci.news
