Augusto Tessone

• Dr.
• Investigador Adjunto at National Scientific and Technical Research Council

El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar la evolución de los valores δ13C y δ15N de huemul a lo largo del Holoceno en la localidad arqueológica Cerro Casa de Piedra (CCP), ubicada en la provincia de Santa Cruz. Asimismo, busca determinar la profundidad temporal de las actuales diferencias isotópicas entre huemules y guanacos de esta zona, asociadas...

The main goal of this work is to celebrate more than three decades of the application of stable isotope analyses in Argentinian archaeology. We present a synthesis of the concepts, theoretical and methodological aspects and applications covering three main topics: paleodiet, paleomobility and palaeoenvironment. At the same time, we provide examples...

The aim of this study is to assess the variability of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of herbivores -guanaco and huemul-in southern Patagonia. The study area extends from the eastern slopes of the Andes to the Atlantic Coast between 47° and 49° S. The ultimate aim of the research was to generate an isotopic ecology with an adequa...

Se presentan los resultados de las prospecciones arqueológicas realizadas en las áreas costeras insulares y continentales al sur de península de Taitao y golfo de Penas (~46°-48°S) en la región de Aysén, Patagonia occidental. En ellas se reveló una importante evidencia de registros materiales de tiempos coloniales y republicanos producto de activid...

The transition to agriculture was a transformative process in human history with demographic and social consequences that varied widely. However, its dynamics in South America remain understudied. The Uspallata Valley (UV), located within the southern frontier of Andean agriculture, provides a singular setting to explore how farming societies emerg...

Las investigaciones arqueológicas desarrolladas en el archipiélago de Tierra del Fuego se han centrado mayormente en canales y mares interiores mientras que aún persiste un escaso conocimiento sobre el uso efectuado por poblaciones cazadoras-recolectoras-pescadoras de las islas exteriores durante el Holoceno. Dentro de este entorno, Isla de los Est...

This study aims to examine the paleodietary variation of individuals recovered from two sites in the upper basin of the Santa Cruz River dated at the beginning and end of the Late Holocene. δ13C and δ15N values from bone collagen of 14 individuals are presented. Two different paleodiets were observed. The first one was associated with the intake of...

The Nahuel Huapi Region (North Patagonia, Argentina) preserves a rich paleontological and archaeological record of the last ca. 20,000 cal BP. This interval corresponds to the climatic fluctuations of the last part of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene period and a number of biotic events, including the megamammals extinction as well as the first arriva...

We evaluated plant trajectories in the northern Patagonian archipelago (41°–47° S) through various types of evidence (ceramic use residues and human dental calculus), temporally distinguishing between pre- and post-contact with horticultural groups (~1000 years BP), and later on, with European groups (sixteenth century), comparing and integrating t...

The aim of this chapter is to explore temporal changes in the ecological niches of different species of camelids by establishing their isotopic niches. Camelids were the main animal resource for most human populations that inhabited the South American continent in the past. The purpose is to explore if the current populations of camelids have diffe...

In this article, we present an isotopic perspective of key research questions in Andean bioarchaeology, focusing on the ways in which stable and radiogenic isotope analyses have contributed to our understanding of the past. Andean archaeology offers a window into long-term processes of economic, socioecological and political change since the mid-Ho...

Subsistence has been one of the most widely discussed topics concerning the archaeology of hunter-gatherer groups who inhabited the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition (Argentina) since ca. 6000 years BP. Previous studies on human paleodiets through the analysis of stable isotopes (δ13Cap, δ13Ccol and δ15N) indicate that during the Middle Holocene (...

In this paper we carried out a sequential extraction of lipids and collagen and obtained carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values of archaeological and modern bone samples of native ungulates from the Argentine Patagonia (Lama guanicoe, Pudu puda, Hippocamelus bisulcus) and Northwest (Lama sp., Vicugna vicugna). Collagen and lipids are biomolecule...

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is the largest and the most widely distributed ungulate in South America since the Pleistocene and constituted the main prey for hunter-gatherers in Southern Patagonia (Argentina) in the past. An isomorphic relationship has been suggested between the mobility of these animals and that of human groups that inhabited the r...

PROGRAMA DE POSGRADO EN ARQUEOMETRÍA ABIERTA LA INSCRIPCIÓN AL CICLO LECTIVO 2024 PRINCIPALES CONTENIDOS 1) Introducción a la Arqueometría. Responsables: Dr. Mariano Bonomo (FCNyM) y Dra. Norma Ratto (FCNyM-UBA) 2) Datación radiocarbónica. Responsable: Lic. Florencia Mari (Laboratorio de Radiocarbono del CIG) 3) Zooarqueología y tafonomía. Responsa...

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar la utilidad del análisis de isótopos estables en restos humanos para el abordaje de la movilidad y la dieta en cazadores-recolectores en el área del río Pinturas. Para ello se analizaron los isótopos estables del carbono, nitrógeno y oxígeno en colágeno y bioapatita en cinco individuos de la cuenca. Todos los...

During the final Late Holocene, there was a socio‐economic reorganization among the people in the central‐western of Santa Cruz, Argentina. Analysis of bone collagen revealed that hunter–gatherer groups maintained a consistent diet rich in steppe animal protein for the past 3000 years. However, there was a change in bioapatite δ ¹³ C values in the...

Resumen Este estudio contribuye al entendimiento de la interrelación entre cambio ambiental, modificaciones en las estrategias de subsistencia y movilidad de grupos cazadores-recolectores, y la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías de captura y procesamiento de recursos durante el Holoceno tardío en el centro-oeste de Santa Cruz, Patagonia meridional...

This work reviews paleodietary reconstructions of hunter-gatherers from the northeast province of Chubut, Argentina. The isotopic record of human bone can complement information from zooarchaeological and technological studies with its particular resolution on the long-term diet of individuals. Previous δ13C and δ15N studies found dietary differenc...

Predictions based on animal ecology are critical to model human-specific decisions in zooarchaeology. However, information about the past distribution of prey is rare, and evaluations normally rely on modern ecological parameters to fill in the gaps. These assumptions often are problematic since species distributions are likely to have fluctuated o...

RESUMEN Cerca del último milenio en Chiloé se distingue un importante cambio en las trayectorias culturales con la aparición de tradiciones hortícolas y alfareras. A partir de diversas líneas de evidencia se ha descrito para el archipiélago patagónico septentrional el uso y consumo de plantas silvestres y domesticadas durante el Holoceno tardío por...

The increasing use of massively parallel sequencing in the study of current and ancient human populations has enabled new approaches to bioanthropological and archaeological issues; however, its application to archaeological samples requires the use of technologies that are not easily accessible outside US and European research centers. To obtain a...

This new project studies the diversity of socioecological niches across the agropastoral transition in the Andes, utilising a multi-isotope approach to track human territories and allocate subsistence tasks. During the agro-pastoral period, we discriminate different diachronic niches with varying extents of maize farming and altitud-inal mobility.

The application of stable isotopes in ecology, archeology or paleocology highlight the need to understand the variability of the isotopic baselines, as a fundamental step to know the spatio-temporal variability of consumers. The aim of this research is to study the δ 13 C and δ 15 N variability in modern plants along a longitudinal transect − 400 k...

The aim of this essay is to evaluate the usefulness of stable isotope analysis in human remains for addressing mobility and diet in hunter-gatherers in the Pinturas river area. For this purpose, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in collagen and bioapatite were analyzed in five individuals from the basin. All individuals presented simil...

This work seeks to explore human mobility in the lower course of the Colorado River (Argentina) during the Middle and Late Holocene (ca. 5900-250 years BP) through the analysis of stable oxygen isotopes (δ18O) of bone bioapatite. The δ18O values are interpreted and compared with those from North Patagonia and Western Pampas to evaluate mobility at...

Los análisis paleodemográficos e isotópicos ofrecen información contundentepara entender la com-posición y dinámica de los grupos humanos del pasadoyla variación dentro de la población en dietay rango geográfico. El presente trabajo tiene por objetivos reconstruir la estructura demográfica del sitioOsario Potrero Las Colonias, caracterizar la compo...

Según el informe publicado entre la Procuraduría de Trata y Explotación y la Colectiva de Intervención Ante las Violencias en el año 2015, la cantidad de personas fallecidas sin identidad conocida (NN) registradas en la República Argentina para el periodo desde el año 1995 al 2013 asciende a un total de 5329. Adicionalmente, la información reuni...

Durante el Holoceno tardío en el archipiélago patagónico septentrional (~41°30′-47°S), convergerían sistemas culturales diferenciados, interrelacionándose grupos con tradiciones culturales portadoras de cerámica y economías basadas en la producción de alimentos (hortícolas) con grupos de cazadores-recolectores-pescadores marinos presentes desde el...

Mobility is a key issue in the archaeology of southern South America, providing a lens through which multiple aspects of past social and economic organization can be visualized. Beyond this focus, there are multiple sources of behavioral variation that have little archaeological visibility and are thus seldom considered. However, the global ethnogr...

The aim of this chapter is to characterize the isotopic paleoecology of the end of the Pleistocene and the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. δ13C and δ15N analysis of extinct fauna and guanaco recovered in the Alero El Puesto 1 site, Piedra Museo locality is presented. The samples analyzed cor...

En este trabajo se discute el rol que cumplieron los lípidos terrestres para la subsistencia de los grupos cazadores-recolectores de la costa sur de Tierra del Fuego durante el Holoceno tardío. Se cruzan los resultados de dos líneas de evidencia independientes: estudios sobre el procesamiento de los restos óseos de camélidos y análisis de isótopos...

Navegantes, exploradores y cartógrafos que circundaron Isla de los Estados desde comienzos del siglo XVII no mencionaron la presencia de nativos en ese sector alejado del archipiélago fueguino. Incluso hacia fines del siglo XIX y comienzos del XX, ya con la presencia de etnógrafos en la región, su carácter inhóspito se alimentaba aún más con mitos...

This paper presents the results of the study of the microfossil content of the human dental calculus of 49 individuals from 17 archaeological sites of the Chiloé and Los Chonos archipelago with chronologies between ~4400 to 300 years cal BP. The previous δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope values of the inhabitants of this area revealed an eminently m...

Mobility is a key issue in the archaeology of southern South America, providing the lens through which multiple aspects of past social and economic organization are visualized. Beyond this focus, there are multiple sources of behavioral variation that have little archaeological visibility and are thus seldom considered. However, the global ethnogra...

The Andes are a unique geological and biogeographic feature of South America. From the perspective of human geography, this mountain range provides ready access to highly diverse altitudinally arranged ecosystems. The combination of a geologically and ecologically diverse landscape provides an exceptional context to explore the potential of stronti...

We present isotopic and morphometric evidence suggesting the migration of farmers in the southern Andes in the period AD 1270-1420, leading up to the Inka conquest occurring ~ AD 1400. This is based on the interdisciplinary study of human remains from archaeological cemeteries in the Andean Uspallata Valley (Argentina), located in the southern fron...

RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la variabilidad δ 13 C y δ 15 N de la megafauna y la gran fauna extinta que habitaron en el sur de Patagonia durante la transición Pleistoceno-Holoceno. Se presentan valores de δ 13 C y δ 15 N en muestras de colágeno óseo de Hippidion saldiasi, Mylodontidae, Lama gracilis y Lama guanicoe del sitio AEP-...

Objectives The aim of this work is to explore the maternal genetic diversity of hunter‐gatherers of the southern Tierra del Fuego, specifically the north coast of Beagle Channel, the Península Mitre, and Isla de los Estados through ancient mitochondrial DNA analysis. Materials and Methods The hypervariable regions 1 and 2 of the mitochondrial geno...

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar, a través del estudio de isótopos estables (δ ¹³ C ap , δ ¹³ C col y δ ¹⁵ N), paleodietas y patrones de subsistencia en grupos cazadores-recolectores de la transición pampeano-patagónica oriental (Argentina) durante el Holoceno medio-tardío (ca. 6000–250 aP). Se analizaron 44 individuos adultos de ambos sexos....

Aviso Institucional del INGEIS: Durante el mes de abril de 2020 vamos a prestar el servicio de análisis isotópico – carbono-13 y nitrógeno-15 – en materia orgánica por EA-IRMS, y contamos con aproximadamente 300 lugares disponibles para muestras, cuyos resultados estarían para junio.

The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) was a key staple hunted by foragers throughout the Holocene in southern South America. Stable isotope analyses provide insights about guanaco long-term ecology. Particularly, the characterization of prey habitat and feeding behavior in the past is of the utmost interest for zooarchaeological models. Therefore, we evaluat...

Strontium isotopes allow tracking the scale and pattern of movements of people and animals. With the ultimate goal of reconstructing human mobility in the southern Andes (Argentina and Chile), we present isotopic values for rodent samples selected from the main geological units, thus contributing to building a macro-regional framework of bioavailab...

RESUMEN Se presentan tres novedosos registros de isótopos de carbono y nitrógeno procedentes de dos contextos funerarios a cielo abierto en el interior del bosque norpatagónico. Las muestras humanas analizadas confirman la utilidad de la técnica para diferenciar las dietas terrestres de las poblaciones humanas del área andina de Patagonia. Los resu...

This paper presents the carbon (13C/12C), nitrogen (15N/14N), oxygen (18O/16O), hydrogen (2H/1H) and sulfur (34S/32S) stable isotope values measured in the hair of a female individual from Northwestern Argentina. The analysis of segments of this tissue allows recording diet and migratory changes with a short time resolution. The sample is from a mu...

Las excavaciones arqueológicas y los registros bioantropológicos realizados en el archipiélago de los Chonos (entre 43° 50’ y 46° 50’ S), a lo largo de los canales occidentales de Patagonia, permiten definir la ocupación de este sistema insular por parte de cazadores recolectores marinos desde el Holoceno medio hasta el contacto europeo. Sus conjun...

In this article we evaluate the isotopic variability in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of diets among maritime hunter-gatherers of the Beagle Channel (Southern Argentina). A system with two end members -marine and terrestrial resources- is not enough to describe populations with diversified subsistence strategies. Moreover, these marine hunter-gatherers are...

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de un estudio sobre los usos de la tecnología cerámica en los grupos cazadores recolectores del centro-oeste de la provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina, hacia fines del Holoceno tardío. Para tal fin se realizaron análisis de isótopos estables y la caracterización química de residuos orgánicos recuperados de...

This paper reports the results of stable isotope studies (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) performed on organic residues in archaeological potsherds recovered from diverse Patagonian environments in Argentina. The objective was to identify the types and provenance of food cooked in ceramic vessels, thus contributing to the study of paleodiets and subsistence strateg...

In this work we present the first systematic results about regional isotopic ecology in northern Neuquén Province (Argentina). This information is essential to reconstruct ecological changes and human paleodiets through time. We conducted analyses of stable isotopes of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) on the collagen fraction of bone from on...

The introduction of stable isotopes into archaeological research began in the 1970s, and revolutionized the ways in which several key issues are studied, including early hominin diets, subsistence and spatial organization of forager societies, individual life histories, among others (Makarewicz & Sealy 2015). Isotopic analysis of bones, teeth and o...

The aim of this paper is to provide information on the analysis of stable isotopes obtained from bones of marine and terrestrial fauna used as potential food by hunter-gatherers on the northern coast of Santa Cruz province (Argentine Patagonia). The results from the isotopic ecology are analyzed to contribute to dietary interpretations of the human...

The main aim of this paper is to evaluate if certain processes that were documented in a specific area of Central-Southern Patagonia during the Late Holocene were also registered in a broader spatial scale. Previous investigations carried out in our study area located in Central-Western Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, have stated that climatic fluc...

El objetivo de este artículo es realizar una breve síntesis sobre las aplicaciones de los isótopos estables en arqueología. El fin es destacar las virtudes de esta metodología para la resolución de problemáticas relacionadas con el estudio de poblaciones humanas en el pasado. Los isótopos estables le han permitido a la arqueología discutir aspectos...

Arid and semi-arid environments impose harsh and variable conditions on human and animal populations around the world. These environments often comprise seasonal and long-term climate changes that constrain human subsistence and mobility strategies. Animal exploitation strategies have been particularly a ected by these constraints, which encouraged...

The main objective of this paper is to assess paleodiets and subsistence patterns in hunter-gatherer groups of the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition during the Middle Holocene (ca. 6000-4100 years BP). Using a multivariate diet reconstruction model that incorporates δ 13 C ap , δ 13 C col , and δ 15 N holistically, human palaeodiets were character...

In this paper the results of a study of the use of pottery technology by hunter-gatherers from central-west Santa Cruz, Argentina, towards the end of the Late Holocene are presented. The results of C and N stable isotope (EA-IRMS) and chemical (GC-MS) analyses of organic residues recovered from archaeological sherds are reported. Stable isotope dat...

We present archaeological evidence from the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz regarding the extinction of the Pleistocene fauna. The Pleistocene sites analyzed for this area are Cueva Tunel and Casa del Minero. They are located in La María archaeological locality. These sites show the contemporaneity between the first settlers of Patagonia and several...

La aplicación de isótopos estables en la investigación arqueológica y en paleociencias ha tenido un crecimiento exponencial durante los últimos años en todo el mundo, y América del sur no fue la excepción. Una muestra de los comienzos del creciente uso, fue la organización durante 2006 en la ciudad de Malargüe del Taller de Arqueología e Isótopos E...

La aplicación de isótopos estables en la investigación arqueológica y en paleociencias ha tenido un crecimiento exponencial durante los últimos años en todo el mundo, y América del sur no fue la excepción. Una muestra de los comienzos del creciente uso, fue la organización durante 2006 en la ciudad de Malargüe del Taller de Arqueología e Isótopos E...

Como parte de las investigaciones arqueológicas en Península Valdés (Chubut), se presentan datos osteológicos, paleopatológicos, morfométricos, cronológicos, isotópicos y genéticos obtenidos del estudio de un individuo recuperado en el contexto del Fuerte San José (1779-1810). Dado que la península registra ocupaciones desde el Holoceno medio, un p...

Objectives: The goal of this paper is to assess the scale of human paleomobility and ecological complementarity between the lowlands and highlands in the southern Andes during the last 2300 years. By providing isotope results for human bone and teeth samples, we assess a hypothesis of ‘high residential mobility’ suggested on the basis of oxygen iso...

The native groups of Patagonia have relied on a hunter-gatherer economy well after the first Europeans and North Americans reached this part of the world. The large exploitation of marine mammals (i.e., seals) by such allochthonous groups has had a strong impact on the local ecology in a way that might have forced the natives to adjust their subsis...

Statistics report. Summary of the Mann-Whitney U test for human carbon and nitrogen data according to sex. The three subsets are kept separate. For the Ushuaia subset 7 individuals were excluded, as no sex estimate was available. (DOCX)

Biplot of stable carbon and nitrogen data. Mean humans∂13C and ∂15N values (with sd) for pre-contact (n = 14) and post-contact (n = 28) subsets. (DOCX)

Primera Circular La aplicación de isótopos estables en la investigación arqueológica y en paleociencias ha tenido un creciente desarrollo en todo el mundo. Este impulso reciente de investigaciones que incluyen información isotópica en el sur de Sudamérica, junto a la complejización metodológica de esta línea de investigación, genera la necesidad de...

The goal of this paper is to present stable isotope data from collagen (δ13C and δ15N) and radiocarbon dates of a sample of human skeletal remains from the southern coast of Chubut Province. The data are discussed in relation to paleodiets and in the context of previous research and available data for the rest of the Atlantic Coast of Patagonia. Th...

We discuss the contribution of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to the problem of human occupation of the forest on the eastern slope of the Andes. An initial characterization of forest isotopic ecology is presented on the basis of 58 plants and herbivores values and two human values. It is possible to discriminate isotopic signals of forest...

This paper summarizes and discusses the main results achieved over three decades of research on paleodemographic aspects of Late Holocene hunter-gatherers in Northwestern Santa Cruz (Argentina). Research has been guided by a model of regional settlement that proposes that, as a result of the progressive aridization process recorded in Patagonia dur...

The huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) was one of the preys exploited by hunter-gatherers in Patagonia during the Holocene. At present huemul is restricted to the Andean forest, threatened with extinction, but it has been proposed that in the past it could have inhabited open environments. Thus, the objective of this work is to contribute to the knowle...

The coastal archaeological record of Tierra del Fuego contains an abundance of bones and shells that span the past ~7200 years, providing a unique archive of ecological information. Long-term changes in the structure and function of sub-Antarctic marine ecosystems can be explored with stable isotope analysis to evaluate how both climate and humans...

This paper presents an isotopic characterization (δ13C and δ15N) of modern huemul from Patagonian Andean forest. This deer is considered an endemic species, now inhabiting the sub-Antarctic forest of Chile and Argentina. We analyse if the isotopic signals of the modern huemuls can be used as geographic markers on two distinct spatial scales. Firstl...

We study the isotopic variability of modern social groups of guanacos (Lama guanicoe) and discuss the implications of these results for the analysis of archaeofaunas from archaeological sites of Patagonia. The aim of this work is to evaluate whether the study of the isotope composition of carbon and nitrogen from collagen (δ13C and δ15N) is a metho...

Isotope analysis of the zooarchaeological record is fundamental for the accurate interpretation of stable isotope values obtained from human skeletal remains, provides data about the long-term ecosystem functioning, and can serve as a guide for establishing frames of ecological reference. Doing so demands analyses that successfully integrate data t...

Este trabajo busca generar un aporte al conocimiento de la dinámica poblacional de cazadores, en Patagonia meridional, durante el Holoceno medio y tardío en el marco de condiciones climáticas altamente fluctuantes. Para este fin se analizaron distintas líneas de evidencias arqueológicas provenientes de diferentes ambientes del centro-oeste de la pr...

The main goal of this paper is to develop stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen for human remains recovered in the North Coast of Santa Cruz (Southern Patagonia, Argentina). We discussed the patterns generated by previous archaeological and ethnohistorical studies for this sector in relation to the use of marine resources by hunter-gathere...

The main goal of this paper is to develop stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen for human remains recovered in the North Coast of Santa Cruz (Southern Patagonia, Argentina). We discussed the patterns generated by previous archaeological and ethnohistorical studies for this sector in relation to the use of marine resources by hunter-gathere...

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar la pertinencia de la utilización de las señales isotópicas del δ13C de materiales vegetales provenientes de sitios arqueológicos en reconstrucciones paleodietarias y paleoclimatológicas, estén éstos carbonizados o no. En el caso de los primeros, estudios experimentales mostraron fraccionamientos debido al proc...

RESUMEN Se presentan los primeros resultados arqueológicos sistemáticos obtenidos en las cuencas de los lagos Tar y San Martín (49° 7´S7´S, 72° 11´O11´O), focalizados sobre la distribución espacial y temporal del registro. La información se ordena siguiendo las principales unidades ecológicas (estepa, ecotono y bos-que) con el fin de discutir la ex...

The aim of this paper is to present the first preliminary results of the systematic archaeological research carried out in the Lago Tar and Lago San Martin basins (49° 7' S, 72° 11' O), focusing on the distributional aspects of the record. In order to discuss patterned differences in the space use by prehistoric hunter-gatherers, the information is...

Lipids are depleted in 13C stable isotope, in relation to proteins such as collagen, and carbohydrates. In the use of carbon stable isotopes there are two scenarios in which this difference can lead to paleo-dietary misinterpretations or inaccurate food chain reconstructions. The first one is in relation to the variability of lipid content dependin...