Fourth pottery fingerprint belonged to an adult male

Examination of a fourth fingerprint found on pottery sherds from the Ness of Brodgar suggests it was left by an adult male.

The analysis by Professor Kent Fowler, the director of the University of Manitoba’s Ceramic Technology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada, points to the young man being around 19 years of age.

The first fingerprints were found in April and, in June, Prof Fowler was able to establish the age and sex of two of three prints left on the wet clay during the vessel’s creation.

These were identified as belonging to an adolescent male and an adult male.

Regarding the latest fingerprint, Prof Kent said: “It looks like a large impression but only the tip of the print is well preserved. It is definitely different from the other prints, but more heavily skewed towards the adult male range like one of the previous ones. Not a pattern yet, but the prints are being very consistent.”