Реферат: Besides metric and morphological analysis of foot impressions, foot impressions can be analyzed in context by examining the relationship of foot impressions to one another. In some instances, it is possible to follow the routes taken by prehistoric people; these routes are trackways. The stride length (the distance between two consecutive foot impressions) of these trackways is the preserved evidence of past
locomotion patterns. This study identifies trackways from 274 foot impressions in Aborigine Avenue, a cave passage in Jaguar Cave, Tennessee, and infers the behavior that created them. Differences in the locomotion pattern of inbound and outbound trackways and observations of Aborigine Avenue suggest different individuals created inbound and outbound trackways. Also, more variable inbound stride lengths indicate the individuals that produced inbound trackways stopped more often than those who made outbound trackways, which is consistent with exploring. This study suggests that the earliest cave trips by humans in the southeastern United States were exploratory