Fingerprints on terracotta warriors point to women and children as makers

Why it matters: The terracotta warriors, buried near Xi'an around 2,200 years ago, are among China's best-known archaeological treasures and a major draw for foreign visitors. The long-held image of the army being built solely by adult men comes largely from written records and assumptions about how ancient workshops were organised. Fingerprint analysis offers a rare biological check on that picture, and the finding has become a trending topic on Chinese social media.

Researchers found fingerprints left by adult women and children on terracotta warriors at the mausoleum of China's first emperor, according to the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum.

The study, a collaboration between the museum and Shandong University's archaeology school, was published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, the museum said. It examined 79 fingerprints preserved on 23 figures in pit No. 1.

About 45% of the prints came from adult men, 32.7% from adult women and 22.3% from people under 15, the researchers estimated using a statistical fingerprint model. Most prints were on heads, armour and arms.

The authors said the results show production was mainly by adult men but not carried out by them alone. Women and youths may have taken part in making, moving or assembling the figures.

The concentration of prints on separately pre-made parts fits the known method of moulding components and assembling them, the study said. The share of young fingerprints is consistent with historical records of apprentices assisting craftsmen in the Qin dynasty.