15,000 years ago, children may have been making clay art too: 154 ancient figurines challenge archaeological assumptions

Archaeologists have discovered 154 figurative clay artefacts dating back 15,000 to 11,650 years at three prehistoric sites in Israel, challenging the belief that clay art emerged alongside farming. Published in PLOS ONE on November 11, 2026, the study also reveals fingerprints belonging to children, adolescents and adults. Some impressions suggest children younger than 10 helped shape the figurines alongside adults, offering rare evidence of prehistoric childhood, creative learning and artistic traditions among ancient hunter-gatherer communities.