Footprints into the past

90 min • 2014 • ZDF/ARTE

This documentary follows a unique archaeological experiment. It focuses on traces left by our ancestors during the last ice age in several cave paintings in south-western France: the imprints of bare feet, heels and toes. Here, scientists face the difficult task of interpreting these mysterious testimonies of early humanity. For the first time, they do not want to rely solely on Western research methods. They seek support from the Bushmen, the San, the best trackers in southern Africa. The two Cologne archaeologists Tilman Lenssen-Erz and Andreas Pastoors had a bold idea: What could be more obvious than to use the knowledge of one of the last hunter-gatherer peoples on earth, the rich experience of an ancient culture in which reading tracks is still part of everyday life? Experts from different walks of life and ways of thinking are joining forces. On an equal footing, they are pushing ahead with an exciting criminal investigation. What new insights will this unconventional collaboration bring to light from the darkness of the Ice Age cave paintings? Will the trackers discover more or different things in the footprints than the representatives of Western science?

What new insights will this unconventional collaboration bring to light from the darkness of the Ice Age cave paintings? Will the trackers discover more or different things in the footprints than Western scientists? The adventure of the joint search for clues is underway in the Kalahari Desert and the Pyrenees. Will the archaeologists' calculations prove correct? Only one thing is certain: if anyone can bring footprints to life, it is professional trackers like Tsamkxao Cigae, C/wi Kxunta and C/wi Thao. Nothing escapes their attentive gaze, which is often a matter of life and death in the open savannah.