Il tocco del “diavolo”: un’istantanea fotografica sulla preistoria

Abstract

Here we report about a fossil handprint located in the "Ciampate del diavolo" palaeontological site (Tora e Piccilli, central-southern Italy). Radiometrically dated at ~350 ka, it is the only fossilized Middle-Pleistocene human handprint up to know known in the world and the oldest so far. This handprint, called TP_M1, cannot be compared with anything similar at present, either in hypogeal or subaerial environments and is completely unrelated to any cultural purpose. Since it can only be analyzed from a dynamic and morphostructural point of view, it can be considered a kind of unique photographic snapshot of a common moment in the everyday life of a middle-Pleistocene hominin. In this sense, it represents, with the dimensional dataset here provided, an equally unique and valuable tool for the study of similar contexts and evidence.