The objectives of the current research are to characterize obsidian sources and lithic archaeological remains in two areas of NW Patagonia, so as to establish spatial distribution and network circulation patterns. Obsidian tools and remains were found in archaeological contexts dated back 3200 years and up to the 16th-18th centuries.

An extensive in situ Raman spectroscopic campaign was performed on archaeological sites in three different provinces in Patagonia, Argentina (Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut). 16 open air shelters located in different environments (forests, ecotones, steppes) were investigated and interpreted in terms of pigments used and the identification of substrata. Special attention was given to the alteration products and accretions that were found on the rock art paintings of the shelters and on the surface of the rock walls, as they can affect and damage this magnificent works of art. Haematite (α-Fe 2 O 3) was the main chromophore that was found on the red paintings of the most of the shelters studied. The green earth glauconite, was identified only in one case, by using a red (785 nm) and a green laser (532 nm). Other minerals and silicates were found on the couloured areas but also on the rock support. Calcite (CaCO 3) and gypsum (CaSO 4 •2H 2 O) crystallization was identified on the paintings, crusts and rock surfaces, in combination or alone, and are associated with weathering. In some cases the shelters were so severely degraded that no Raman signal of pigments and/or other components could be retrieved. Calcium oxalates were also detected in several figures and motifs in different shelters.

In Northwestern Patagonia, many archaeological sites can be found that testify human occupation by hunter-gatherer groups during the Holocene period. The general purpose of archaeological research in this area is to obtain information on the movements of these groups between the dry steppe and the different sectors in the forests. This paper reports on the results of the first spectroscopic analysis of samples from the archaeological excavation of two hunter-gatherer regions in Northern Patagonia (Traful Lake and Manso River areas). Thirty samples of rock art fragments, grinding tools, shell, raw pigment material, as well as painted ceramics and beads were examined with micro-Raman spectroscopy, complemented with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. Micro-Raman analysis revealed mostly the use of haematite (Fe 2 O 3 ) as the red chromophore. The presence of associated minerals and silicates indicated that clay-like material (ochre) was used, instead of pure haematite. Although not fully conclusive, Raman spectroscopic results tend to indicate that in some samples haematite might be formed by heating iron-containing ochres.

Portable Raman spectroscopy is applied for the first time on rock art paintings from hunter‐gatherers in three different provinces in Patagonia, Argentina (Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut). Selected archaeological sites were examined, revealing the local ‘palette’ of the native population and, if possible, the technology used. Moreover, alteration products were investigated to obtain valuable information for a better conservation and preservation of these magnificent rock art paintings. During a single research campaign, 16 shelters and one cave were investigated, which makes this study as one of the most condensed expeditions on measuring rock art paintings. Here, we evaluate the use of our portable Raman instrument to analyse rock art paintings under extreme conditions in Patagonia, Argentina. Several improvements are proposed to maximize the quality of the research output in such condensed expeditions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tradicionalmente, el efecto combinado de la demografía y la productividad de los ambientes patagónicos ha sido invocado para explicar que el interior del bosque del centro-norte de la Patagonia argentina fue utilizado luego de la ocupación de espacios más favorables, con una antigüedad máxima de 3.500 años. El hallazgo de contextos del Holoceno temprano y medio en el sitio de Población Anticura situado en el bosque mixto permite reformular este escenario. El análisis sedimentario, de los procesos de formación y de la evidencia arqueológica recuperada indica, para estos momentos, la existencia de ocupaciones breves y con cierta redundancia a través del tiempo, con conjuntos artefactuales pequeños pero variados, una subsistencia basada en el huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) y el consumo ocasional de especies de menor tamaño corporal como alimento y como materia prima. La procedencia de algunos materiales sugiere que el uso temprano del interior del bosque estaría vinculado a redes de circulación amplias en el marco de una baja demografía, mientras que la naturaleza de las ocupaciones muestra un conocimiento del ambiente que señala que los contextos más antiguos de Población Anticura no reflejan la primera exploración del interior del bosque.