Since the discovery of ancient footprints in the late 18th century, locals have assumed that the footprints were evidence that demons once emerged from hell through the extinct crater and wandered on. Earth. That’s why they gave it the name Ciampate del Diavolo, or "Footprint of the Devil".
Accordingly, fossil footprints and several handprints were discovered from the villages of Tuoro, Foresta and Piccilli in Campania, Italy. Those who do not believe them are traces of demons who think they are traces of ancient animals.
However, researchers from the University of Padua have confirmed they are of human origin. They determined this was likely a trace dating back some 350,000 years to a bipedal hominid. It is also thought to be the oldest "human" footprint outside Africa, until the 800,000-year-old "Happiburgh" footprint was found in Britain in 2013.
Ancient human footprints were rarely well preserved in an open environment. Experts believe that the traces were even clearer because of the volcanic lava flow - often consisting of ash, pumice stone and rock fragments - which were then coated with volcanic ash.
Padua University scientists have also demonstrated that thick layers of sediment have buried the footprints. It was not until the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century that erosion revealed footprints and it was discovered.
Among the remarkable features of the Devil’s Footprint, the most prominent feature is the occasional handprint found next to the footprints on the cliff face of the volcano. This suggests that the traces created by upright hominids but need to stabilize themselves as they go down the dangerous high slope path.
This hypothesis is supported by evidence that the ancients carefully chose the path down the ridge. Some go in a Z-shape, while some go straight. These people just walk, not run.
The researchers believe that the owners of these traces are completely bipedal hominids with a free gait (meaning they walk entirely with their feet and only use their arms to support or regain balance). .
And most likely, these footprints were created by prehistoric Homo Erectus or Homo Heidelbergensis in late Europe. With footprints about 8 inches (about 20cm) wide and 4 inches (10cm) wide, the average stride was about 4 feet (1.2 m), experts concluded that the prehistoric humans left the footprints mentioned above. only about 5 feet (1.5m) tall.
To this day, we still don’t know and probably never know what prehistoric people did on volcanoes, and how could they go down the mountain when the volcano was erupting?
Although the Devil’s Footprint is Homo’s oldest preserved footprint, they are not the oldest gibbon footprint; That honor belongs to the famous Laetoli footprint in Tanzania, the remains of 3.5 million years ago.
