DOI: http://doi.org/10.47743/jss-2022-68-2-29

Abstract: Even if forensics and archeology are separate sciences, they have in common a methodology for searching and discovering the traces, as a result of human activities carried out in the past. An archaeological fingerprint on a single object can reveal four aspects: it provides a sign of an individual's identity; it indicates when the individual was alive; it indicates the geographical area in which the individual lived; it indicates the action performed by a person, such as writing a text, sealing an object, having a specific job, etc. The collection, storage and comparative use of data, preferably from the entire area of the Cucuteni culture, could reveal more details about the man behind the artifact. As for fingerprints that can be corroborated with other historical sources, they can provide information about the role, occupation, or authority of individuals within society, or they can provide information about the duration of individual activities. Regarding the information potential that we aim to obtain from this study, as well as from future ones, it is related to the possibility to demonstrate the existence of craft centers. Regarding the ceramic production within the Cucuteni Culture, the existence of craftsmen was presumed due to the exceptional quality of the vessels, as well as some repetitive patterns of shape and decoration. Specifically, the same shapes, sizes and decorations are found in the same cultural phase. The same quality of clay processing and burning is observed in several settlements, along with the existence of special kilns for pottery, which led to the conclusion that there must have been a specialization of some people who were initiated in the art of pottery.

Keywords: archeology, dactyloscopy, ceramic fragments, microscopy, Cucuteni culture.

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