Mudbricks were made by combining dirt, straw, and water before drying each piece in the sun. Credit: T urkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Archaeological relics often leave a lot to the imagination. Corroded jewelry and the tattered remnants of ancient clothing only tell part of a much larger story, but sometimes an object offers up a bit more detail. Occasionally, an artifact such as a piece of pottery is so well-preserved that even its creator’s signature is still legible thousands of years later.

In Turkey, archaeologists recently excavated an unexpectedly pristine example of one Bronze Age artist ’s proof-of-authenticity. However, this wasn’t the work of a revered local craftsman. The marking appears to be the pawprint of a dog waltzing through a local construction site.

Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy highlighted the discovery earlier this month on social media.…