There was no fingerprint identification technology in ancient times. Why should we press fingerprints?

Fingerprint unlocking has been applied to all aspects of modern life. When we thought that fingerprint identification technology was the product of modern science and technology, archaeological discoveries subverted our ideas.

According to archaeological confirmation, fingerprints were found on pottery produced more than 5000 years ago. Coincidentally, archaeologists discovered an ancient pottery of Shang Dynasty more than 3,600 years ago with fingerprints on it.

In addition, in the Felt Museum in Chicago, USA, there is a clay print of the Zhou Dynasty in China, on which the thumb print is clearly printed.

The Qin Dynasty historical relic "Closed Diagnosis-Cave Thief" unearthed in Yunmeng records the thief's stealing method. Knees, handwriting, knees and hands are everywhere inside and outside the cave, which probably means that thieves dug a hole outside the house to steal. Officials found many traces of knees and palms on the soil at the crime scene. This case shows that Qin officials have taken handwriting as a kind of material evidence and made handprints and footprints through the investigation of the crime scene.

At the beginning of the 20th century, German scholar Robert Haindl clearly pointed out in Fingerprint Identification that the first scholar who really put forward the technical term of fingerprint identification was Jia in the Tang Dynasty, and the fingerprint identification technology was first recorded and used systematically in the Song Dynasty. The ancients found that everyone's fingerprints were different and fingerprints would never change.

If the finger is injured, the fingerprint will be missing or blurred, but it will not change after the wound is healed, so the fingerprint can be used as evidence of personal identity. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Skip Book still existed, which can be said to be the earliest fingerprint registration system in China. Everyone in the household registration left their fingerprints under the corresponding entries, so fingerprint investigation reached a new height in the Song Dynasty, and fingerprint fraud also kept pace.

Many unearthed contracts in the Tang Dynasty have handprints, knuckles or palm prints at the end, and there are also many handprints in various paintings and calligraphy works. In ancient times, it was difficult for ordinary people to get a good education, and the opportunity for education was often dominated by the ruling class. Therefore, in ancient society, in order to give the contract IOUs a certain legal effect, it is necessary for both parties to press their fingerprints.

There was a lack of handwriting identification technology in ancient times, and many literati liked to imitate it. Fingerprint has become the main material evidence for yamen to hear economic disputes, so fingerprint identification is not the wisdom crystallization of modern technology.

There is a great difference between ancient fingerprinting and modern fingerprinting. In ancient times, there was no requirement for fingertips, and sometimes one or two joints could appear, and even the whole fingerprint could be pressed. However, in modern times, you must use the index finger of your right hand.