Anthropic artifacts and donkey horseshoe traces looking like fossil human footprints: a case study from the Roccamonfina volcano (central Italy) with implication for human ichnology

Fossil footprints of Middle Pleistocene hominids, locally known as “Ciampate del Diavolo”, were discovered in 2001 on the North-Eastern slope of the Roccamonfina volcano (central Italy, municipality of Tora and Piccilli, Caserta). The imprints occur on a surface of Brown Leucitic Tuff (BLT), dated to 349 ± 3 ka. After this discovery, this tuffaceous formation was investigated in more detail on the North-Eastern, Eastern and South-Eastern side of the Roccamonfina volcano, with the aim of locating other fossil footprints. In 2003 another succession of nine hollows fully compatible with human fossil footprints for stratigraphic position, pattern and dimensional range was found on the same ridge but at a higher level. This second site, known locally as Cantarelle di Carangi, is positioned at a distance of about 1.8 km from the first fossiliferous area (municipality of Marzano Appio, middle-central Italy, Caserta province). Further surveys and archaeological excavations were carried out in the Cantarelle di Carangi site during 2008 to better understand, contextualize and confirm the potential ichnological value of the findings of 2003. Ichnological and stratigraphical analyses, combined with findings during the excavations and historical data, however, tell a different story. What was supposed to be a new ichnosite with Pleistocene fossil footprints, is very likely the result of anthropic digging, erosion made by animals, and weathering. In any case, the discovery shows how careful researchers have to be in interpreting possible fossil footprints, especially in conditions of poorly preserved traces.