Sentence | Li-chi-hsien
Edit | Chestnut Hat
Fingerprint, a unique biometric feature, has evolved into an important identification tool in today's technological society, and is widely used in identity verification, crime investigation, etc.
However, in the absence of modern instruments, the ancients already had insight into the uniqueness of fingerprints and skillfully applied them to social life.
The ancients, after thousands of years of continuous observation, comparison and induction, gradually built a complete set of fingerprint recognition and application system, which brought this natural "imprint" to the extreme, providing strong support for property rights confirmation, criminal tracing, identity identification, etc., and then promoting the continuous progress of society.
The origin of fingerprinting
When archaeologists explored the early Yangshao site, they found clear handprints on pottery shards, which are the oldest fingerprint remains found so far, indicating that thousands of years ago, humans began to use fingerprints.
Most of these handprints appear on some utensils used in daily life, perhaps accidentally left when firing utensils.
The ancients often closely linked fingerprints to fate, giving rise to superstitious activities such as looking at physiognomy. Based on the length and shape of their fingerprints, they speculate on their personal fortunes and marriages. Although these ideas are superstitious, they do reflect the great interest and importance that the ancients attached to fingerprints.
With the passage of time, the ancients gradually discovered more peculiar applications of fingerprints through observation in their daily lives. With the deepening of cognition, fingerprint identification methods are gradually independent from handprint divination.
In the 70s, Qin Jian's "Sealed Diagnosis and Cave Thieves" unearthed from the Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Mausoleum recorded such a period of history: when the local officials of the Qin Dynasty dealt with a case of robbery and excavation of the cemetery, they carefully inspected the robbery cave, and paid special attention to the six hand prints left by the suspect in the robbery cave.
This shows that people at that time had already understood the technology of using fingerprints to identify thieves.
During the Zhou Dynasty, fingerprints were applied to contract seals
During the Zhou Dynasty, the practice of handprinting was widely used in contracts and seals, forming a legally binding method.
As an alternative means of signature, fingerprinting effectively prevents the forgery of words and enhances the reliability and authority of the contract.
At that time, when many people purchased or transferred land and other transactions, they would put their fingerprints on the mud seals in order to ensure the validity of the contract.
For those who are illiterate, fingerprinting has evolved into a common alternative to signing. Later, this law gradually evolved into a social custom. On the many clay seals excavated in later generations, we can still see the fingerprint marks left by the ancients, and these marks silently prove the fact that fingerprints were generally adopted in that historical period.
According to the "Zhou Li", at that time, there was an official position of "Zhangji", which was responsible for making contract scripts according to handprints. This further confirms that the application of fingerprints in the Zhou Dynasty has been quite extensive and in-depth.
The setting of the clerk not only shows the important position of fingerprints as a tool for identity confirmation and legal restraint at that time, but also reflects the people's standardization and attention to contract transactions and the legal system at that time. This also reflects the standardization and rigor of the society at that time for contract transactions and the legal system. At the same time, it also laid the foundation for the development of fingerprint recognition technology and legal system in later generations.
Since the Song Dynasty, fingerprints have become official evidence
In the Song Dynasty, fingerprints were widely used as evidence in the judiciary.
According to the "History of the Song Dynasty", Long Yu used fake handprints to defraud other people's property. Through meticulous identification, the magistrate found that the handwriting was added later, and the handprint already existed, so he concluded that the handprint was authentic and valid, and then returned the property and clarified the grievances.
This incident not only highlighted the widespread application of fingerprints at that time, but also showed that the government had the professional ability to screen the authenticity of fingerprints.
In many criminal cases, fingerprints often become the key clue to solve the mystery and the overwhelming evidence.
During each interrogation, officials re-take the prisoner's handprints to ensure that the confessions are authentic and credible. It is enough to show that fingerprints are undoubtedly a very important factor in the evidence system.
For example, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty ordered the extensive collection of fingerprint samples across the country, with the aim of building an archival system to facilitate comparison and analysis. At the same time, a large number of forensic works emerged during this period, which systematically expounded the unique characteristics of fingerprints and their identification methods.
In the ancient forensic science masterpiece "Clearing Grievances", the process of successfully solving a homicide case by using fingerprint autopsy is described in detail. Fingerprints play a pivotal role in the book, helping medical examiners and officials uncover the truth of the case.
At the same time, there are many examples of using fingerprint matching to identify suspects, and the process of using fingerprints for autopsy is elaborated. At the scene of the murder, officers will carefully examine the deceased and the surrounding situation, looking for possible fingerprints.
These fingerprints can not only be used to confirm the identity of the deceased, but also help deduce the murderer's modus operandi and whereabouts. This fully demonstrates that the fingerprint screening method at that time had a high level of specialization.
The Yuan Dynasty inherited the forensic science theory of the Song Dynasty, and in the process of fingerprint identification, it was already able to determine the approximate age of the parties.
Yao Sui of the Yuan Dynasty recorded the story of Pan Ze's official who used fingerprints to solve the case in the "Mu'an Collection".
When Pan Ze was clearing the backlog of cases, he encountered a dispute over a contract of sale involving 17 people. Given the habit of people using their fingerprints, it is difficult to identify them directly through fingerprints.
However, Pan Ze discovered that the fingerprints of one of the 13-year-old boys did not match the adult fingerprints on the contract, thus revealing the truth.
In ancient times, fingerprint identification was mainly done by forensic doctors, who provided an important basis for judicial trials through professional observation and analysis. This story shows the application and importance of ancient fingerprint identification in judicial practice.
Fingerprints are applied to marriage and family
In the Song Penal Code, the use of handprints in resolving marriage contract disputes is recorded. When settling marriage disputes, handprints are often used as an important tool to prove the parties' intentions and agreements.
If the parties decide to dissolve the marriage, they will put their fingerprints on the relevant deed or document to signify their consent and confirmation of the dissolution.
The use of this handprint not only enhances the credibility of the evidence, but also helps the official body to adjudicate the dispute fairly and accurately.
The ancients skillfully distinguished different fingerprints
In ancient times, people's identification of fingerprints mainly relied on visual observation and experience accumulation. Although there is no modern scientific and technological means, the ancients summed up the method of distinguishing fingerprints through careful observation and induction.
The ancients usually divided fingerprints into three categories and six types. These three categories mainly include: bow pattern, kei pattern and bucket pattern. These three types of fingerprints have their own morphological characteristics, which are easy for people to identify and distinguish.
Subdivided, each type can be divided into two, that is, six. For example, the kei pattern can be divided into left and right kei, and the bucket pattern can be further subdivided into different forms. These subdivided types made the ancients more accurate in identifying fingerprints.
Due to the lack of modern biometric technology in ancient times, the ancients mainly distinguished fingerprints based on morphological characteristics, and their accuracy may not be comparable to that of modern technology. However, this method still has high practicability in ancient justice and identity verification.
In addition, various historical documents and materials may have different methods of identifying fingerprints. For example, in "Clearing Grievances", the method of identifying fingerprints is described and summarized in detail. These materials provide valuable clues for us to understand the understanding and identification of fingerprints by the ancients.
With limited conditions, the ancients dug deep into the important role of fingerprints in social life, and the high degree of wisdom of the ancients is breathtaking. In today's highly developed science and technology, we should carry forward the spirit of exploration of the ancients, pay attention to discovering the potential meaning of the things around us, and use them for the benefit of society. This kind of thinking of discovering the essential value of things still has important reference significance for us to promote social progress today.