THE FOOTPRINT

In the camera light, and at the right angle to highlight its prominence, the footprints once again became visible. While one stood out above the rest, up to a dozen fingerprints could be distinguished, sometimes overlapping. If the hypothesis is correct, they would be the oldest known to date: man’s first impression on Earth. Who did they belong to? To a single person? A group of hunters? The same artist who immortalised the ceiling engravings 19,000 years ago? Paleolithic strokes exist at many sites, but not a single fingerprint has been found so far. We return to observe them in the grotto’s deathly silence and we look at each other again. After all, we admit, we weren’t that different…