Overview

• Experts confirm the imprint is the first complete Ancient Egyptian palm impression on a funerary soul house, providing a direct link to its original artisan.
• Conservator Helen Strudwick uncovered the full handprint while preparing the long-stored clay model for the museum’s upcoming exhibition.
• Analysis reveals the two-story model was built on a wooden core covered in wet clay, with pinched external stairs preserving additional fingerprint traces.
• Soul houses served as miniature tomb offerings and spiritual dwellings for the deceased’s spirit during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom.
• The piece will be displayed October 3 in the Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.