A complete handprint was found on a clay funerary model house at the Fitzwilliam Museum, created between 3,400 and 4,000 years ago. This is the first complete handprint found on an Egyptian artifact. The model, known as a soul house, has two levels and showcases architectural features like pillars and staircases. The house likely served as a vessel for food offerings in funerary practices, designed to represent chapels for the deceased's souls. Discovered in a tomb at Deir Rifa, the house reveals insights into ancient Egyptian burial customs.
A complete handprint has been discovered on the base of a clay funerary model house at the Fitzwilliam Museum, made between 3,400 and 4,000 years ago.
The handprint is the first found on an Egyptian artifact, made by the potter during the error before firing in the kiln.
Known as a soul house, the model features supporting pillars and curving staircases leading to the roof, with clay offerings embedded in the courtyard.
Egyptologists believe soul houses could symbolize the souls returning to their homes in the afterlife, possibly representing affordable versions of tomb chapels.
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