Late Holocene human occupation of the Patagonian forests: a case study in the Cisnes river basin

Abstract

How early did steppe dwellers penetrate the forests? The authors compare and contrast settlement on the steppe, in the forest and on the steep sea coast of western Patagonia, finding that the steppe is occupied first, from 11400 calendar years BP. But around 2800 calendar years BP settlements enter the forest almost simultaneously for a brief period along the length of the Cisnes river valley. Within a few centuries the experiment appears to be abandoned, and the focus of prehistoric peoples returns to the steppe.