FIFTEEN YEARS ALONG THE “DEVIL’S TRAILS”: NEW DATA AND PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

On March 2003, the discovery of human fossil footprints on the volcanic ashes of the north eastern slope of Roccamonfina volcano was announced to the world. They were dated to through 40Ar/39Ar to 349±3 ka. For this reason they are still among the oldest ichnological issues known up to now. Furthermore, they are, more specifically, among the rarest ichnological evidence left by MiddlePleistocene man. These fossil footprints are not randomly located but, on the contrary, they are patterned to form at least two trackways (called "Trackway A" and "Trackway B") whose general shapes have not found comparisons in the world so far. Both trackways branch off from another unique fossil structure, which is the oldest human fossil pathway identified so far. All directly collectable data from these structures has been analysed and published in a series of reports. Although the high antiquity of the footprints has been for a long time the leitmotiv and the most attractive element for the media and scientists, its true paleontological power must be seen in its capacity to provide significant clues about the everyday behaviour and the environmental context of Homo heidelbergensis during the Middle Pleistocene and whose remains have been found on very few sites of the same age. Unfortunately, despite the worldwide media clamour and the great attention of the scientific world, despite the publication of many reports, the geosite is still not adequately protected and promoted and is at risk of losing a significant part of its paleontological and touristic potential. Nevertheless, scientific research, in spite of great difficulties, goes on. Here we report about the state of what has already been done by scientists and what still needs to be done, pointing out that no more time can be wasted to preserve one of the most important and ancient human ichnosites ever discovered.