Centuries before scientific study, ancient civilizations used fingerprints for practical purposes. In Babylon and ancient China, people pressed fingertip impressions into clay tablets and seals, likely to validate documents or as a form of signature. Chinese records from around 200 B.C. indicate that handprints and fingerprints were used as marks of authenticity on official documents and to sign legal contracts, taking advantage of their uniqueness even though the users did not fully understand the science. These early applications were not grounded in analysis of friction ridge skin – they were used out of tradition or superstition rather than a forensic method. There was no attempt yet to catalog or compare prints systematically.
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History of Fingerprints
History new
