AIA Lecture | Who Were Ancient Greek Sculptors in Clay? Insights from Their Fingerprints

Please note, the date has changed

Understanding who ancient artisans were, how they learned their craft, and how artisanal labor was organized has long been of interest to both professional archaeologists and the wider public. A new tool called dermatoglyphics (fingerprint analysis) can be brought to bear on this question. Prints were accidentally embedded in ancient plaster, lost-wax cast bronzes, and most frequently, ceramics before they were fired.

Ceramic sculptures of all sizes preserve the prints of those who made them. A combination of traditional and new dermatoglyphic techniques allows us to evaluate not only questions about which individuals made which objects, but also to see firsthand evidence of apprenticeship. Prints from ceramic sculpture originating at sites in the Argolid and Corinthia allow us to begin to discuss these issues in more concrete terms than has previously been possible.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: March 25, 2021, 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Ann Arbor AIA Society Lecture

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://umich.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LZU0G04nR7iFcnsy5NGvJg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

This lecture is sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America.
To learn more about the AIA, please visit archaeological.org.