Holocene Hunter-gatherers Research Articles

Miniatures as Ritual Objects: Exploring the Role of Small-Sized Vessels among the Complex Late Holocene Hunter-Gatherers from the Paraná River Lowlands in South America

This study is the first systematic approach to ceramic miniatures from the lowlands of the Paraná River (northeastern Argentina), which have received marginal attention from regional archaeology. This paper presents an analysis of 24 pottery miniatures recovered from archaeological sites generated by complex Late Holocene hunter-gatherers, dating from between 460±50 and 1056±47 yearsbp. Morphological and decorative data, errors of manufacture, traces of use and the context of the pieces’ deposition are recorded in order to explore aspects of their variability and functionality. The miniatures correspond to bowls, basins, cups and ‘bell’ artefacts, all of which are commonly found in the regional record. The data obtained suggest that at least some of the sample were used in the symbolic sphere, such as burial offerings.

New advances in the study of prehistoric human activity on the Tibetan Plateau

The origin, nature and timing of prehistoric human activity on the Tibetan Plateau has become a major research topic in recent years, and great progress has been made in the study of the earliest human activity on the plateau and in the origin of modern Tibetans. The earliest human presence on the plateau has been updated by two important new studies. Rich blade assemblages found in the excavation of the Nwya Devu site shows that modern humans occupied the interior region of the Tibetan Plateau, above 4600 m a.s. l., some 30−40 thousand years ago. Recently, a study of a human mandible fossil found in Xiahe County, Gansu Province, in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, indicated that Denisovans occupied the Tibetan Plateau at least 160000 years ago, much earlier than the arrival of modern humans to the region. The latter study also implies that the high-altitude adaptation gene, which occurs widely among modern Tibetans and Sherpa, was probably contributed by local archaic humans, like the Xiahe Denisovans. These two studies not only point to the long and complex human history in the Tibetan Plateau, but they also indicate the complexity of human evolution in the Middle and Late Pleistocene in East Asia. Whether early Holocene hunter-gatherers had already permanently settled on the Tibetan Plateau before the arrival of millet and barley agriculture after the middle Holocene, has become another major research topic in the study of the prehistoric human history of the Tibetan Plateau. However, due to the current lack of reliable evidence for the seasonality of Paleolithic site occupations in the Tibetan Plateau, the issue remains difficult to resolve. The origin of modern Tibetans has been debated for decades. A new linguistic study of the phylogeny and the time depth of the original divergence of the Sino-Tibetan language, based on Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 109 languages, indicates that Sino-Tibetan languages diverged during some 4200 to 7800 years ago, which points to Neolithic population dispersals to the Tibetan Plateau and their close relationship with modern Tibetans. In addition, a new genetic study, based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses of 8277 Tibetans and 58514 individuals from the surrounding populations, has traced the genetic legacy of modern Tibetans to the historical or even Neolithic periods. Calculation of the time depth of the two common haplogroups in modern Tibetans found in this study, implies that these two groups of populations originated in northern China between 6000 and 10000 years ago and differentiated between 4000 and 5200 years ago. Both of these studies are consistent with previous archaeological studies which propose that Neolithic and Bronze Age populations moved to the Tibetan Plateau from a substantial considerable of areas in North China. More importantly, the two studies further confirm the close relationships between Neolithic millet farmers and modern Tibetans, clarifying the origin of modern Tibetans. There have also been several new Paleolithic archaeological studies of the regions surrounding the Tibetan Plateau. A deeper understanding of the Initial Upper Paleolithic in North China, Mongolia and Siberia, and new findings of the Levallois technology in the Jinsitai and Tongtian cave sites in North China, indicate a dispersal route of Paleolithic populations from the north to the Tibetan Plateau. Other studies also propose possible population migration routes in the southeastern and southwestern plateau, although archaeological evidence is currently lacking. Together with the new Paleolithic archaeological findings for the Tibetan Plateau, it appears that different human groups, including Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans, were living in or around the Tibetan Plateau during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. Although recent studies provide new clues for understanding their inter-relationships, additional questions have arisen, and more multidisciplinary studies are needed in the future to address them. Above all, these new studies are crucial for understanding the mechanisms by which prehistoric humans spread to and in the Tibetan Plateau, and their adaptation to the high elevation environments. In addition, they shed new light on the origin of modern humans, as well as on human evolution in East Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene.

Stable isotope evidence of diet breadth expansion and regional dietary variation among Middle-to-Late Holocene Hunter-Gatherers of Central California

Previous stable isotope research on Middle-to-Late Holocene (6600 cal BP-present) hunter-gatherers of Central California has documented significant regional variation in human paleodiets between the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley. In general, this geographically-patterned dietary variation tracks greater consumption of marine food resources in the Bay Area and greater consumption of freshwater and terrestrial food resources in the Central Valley. Using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of bone collagen, stable carbon isotopes of bone bioapatite, and a large series of AMS dates (5420-2975 cal BP), we examine human paleodiets in 238 burials from CA-CCO-548 (Marsh Creek), located near the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, in Central California. Isotopic results support archaeofaunal and paleobotanical findings regarding the dietary importance of terrestrial C3-resources (e.g., artiodactyls, small seeds, acorns) and freshwater fish. The results further indicate that marine resources were of minor importance and could have been acquired from brackish areas near the mouth of the San Francisco Bay estuary located 9 km away or through trade. Although carbon and nitrogen isotopes of bone collagen suggest continuity in the sources of dietary protein over time. Carbon isotopes of bone bioapatite demonstrate a significant temporal shift toward greater consumption of C3 plant resources, such as acorns and small seeds, consistent with resource intensification models. The paleodiet of the CA-CCO-548 population is similar to contemporaneous groups located to the south and northwest, but is distinct from groups within the Delta and San Francisco Bay Area.

Paleodietary trends in Late Holocene hunter-gatherers from southwestern La Pampa province, Argentina. First results from the Médano Petroquímica site through stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N)

The aim of this work is to explore general trends and intra-site variability in human paleodiet from Médano Petroquímica, a burial site created by pre-Hispanic hunter-gatherers and located in the southwest of La Pampa province, Argentina. Measurements of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotopes were performed on the human bone and tooth samples of 16 individuals from five of the burials identified in the site (EA, H4, H5, H6-1, and H7). The multivariate diet reconstruction model used indicates the consumption of land/terrestrial resources within a food web based mainly on C3 producers. The results suggest a relatively high trophic position for these individuals, which is consistent with a marked dependence on animal protein, particularly that of herbivores, such as Lama guanicoe, Rhea spp. (and/or its eggs), and omnivorous animals. A relatively greater dispersion observed in δ13Cap values in comparison with δ13Ccol and δ15N values is partially attributed here to greater intra-site variability in the non-protein portion of diet relative to the protein component.

Adaptations and transformations of hunter-gatherers in forest environments: New archaeological and anthropological insights

Like any other living being, humans constantly influence their environment, be it intentionally or unintentionally. By extracting natural resources, they shape their environment and also that of plants and other animals. A great difference setting people apart from all other living beings is the ability to construct and develop their own niche intentionally, and the unique tool for this is cultural behaviour. Here, we discuss anthropogenic environmental changes of hunter-gatherers and present new palaeoecological and palynological data. The studies are framed with ethnoarchaeological data from Western Siberia to gain a better understanding of how different triggers lead to coping mechanisms. For archaeological implication, we use two Mesolithic case studies from Germany: One of them focuses on hazelnut economy around ancient Lake Duvensee, and the other broaches the issue of selective roe deer hunt and its consequences at the site of Friesack. We address the archaeological evidence from the perspective of active alteration and its consequences, starting our argumentation from a perspective of niche construction theory. This approach has rarely been applied to early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Northern Europe even though the available data render possible to discuss human–environment interaction from such a perspective. It is demonstrated that archaeological research has tools at hand that enables to detect anthropogenic niche construction. However, the ethnoarchaeological example shows limitations and archaeologically invisible triggers and consequent results of human adaptations. The critical revision of such perspectives based on empirical data provides a better understanding of social and environmental transformations in the early- and mid-Holocene.

The impact of environmental change on Palaeolithic and Mesolithic plant use and the transition to agriculture at Franchthi Cave, Greece.

The multi-period (~38,000–6000 cal BP) site of Franchthi Cave, located in the Argolid peninsula of southern mainland Greece, is unique in the Eastern Mediterranean for preserving a long archaeological sequence extending from the Upper Palaeolithic through to the end of the Neolithic period. In this paper, we present new anthracological (carbonized fuel wood waste) evidence from Franchthi Cave with which we reconstruct the changing ecology of woodland vegetation in its environs during the late Pleistocene and the early-mid Holocene. The integrated archaeobotanical record (charred wood and non-wood macro-remains) demonstrates that in the Lateglacial the now-submerged coastal shelf of the southern Argolid peninsula was covered by steppe grassland vegetation dominated by junipers, almonds, cereals and legumes. The rapid climatic amelioration that marked the start of the Holocene brought about the disappearance of juniper and the expansion of deciduous woodland, cereals and lentils. This woodland-grassland biome bears no analogues in the modern and historical vegetation ecology of the Aegean basin. Instead, it is directly comparable to the steppe woodland biomes exploited by late Pleistocene and early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Southwest Asia, and points to the convergent evolution of late Pleistocene and early Holocene plant exploitation strategies between the two regions. Continuous sea-level rise during the early Holocene led to the gradual extinction of this unique palaeohabitat, which acted as the catalyst for the selective introduction of domesticated cereal crops at Franchthi Cave in the early 9th millennium cal BP. Our meta-analysis of the non-wood archaeobotanical data puts into question the concept of the wholesale introduction of a crop “package” by pioneer settler groups arriving from the East. It is proposed instead that selective cereal crop introduction formed part of a complex pattern of sociocultural interactions that brought together indigenous and immigrant groups into new communities.

Biostratinomic marks on rabbit remains and Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherer behaviour in NE Iberia. The case of Cova de la Guineu (Font Rubí, Barcelona)

The consumption of small prey by humans throughout prehistory has been a much-discussed topic among researchers. It seems clear that the exploitation of this resource grows with the implementation of climate changes occurring in Europe between the late Pleistocene and Holocene. In the Mediterranean basin, on the Iberian Peninsula, this is mainly evidenced by an increase in the number of rabbit remains recovered from Epipalaeolithic archaeological sites. These faunal accumulations require a taphonomical analysis in order to ascribe the samples to the activity of early Holocene hunter-gatherers or, on the contrary, to a number of predators (raptors and terrestrial carnivores) that occupied the same biome over the same period and feed on the same prey. Our work aims to elucidate, through taphonomic analysis, the human activity on rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in comparison to other predators in Cova de la Guineu site (Font Rubí, Barcelona), and to explain different ways of handling and exploiting rabbit carcasses. Results show that rabbit remains recovered from the Epipaleolithic level respond to anthropogenic contribution. At a macroscopic level, high proportions of thermo-altered bone can be perceived. On a microscopic level, cut marks caused by lithic tools and teeth marks are appreciated. All variables indicate intense exploitation of rabbit as a food resource. This study shows clear evidence of the importance of small prey for human subsistence during this period.

Ecological and cultural shifts of hunter-gatherers of the Jomon period paralleled with environmental changes.

Holocene hunter-gatherers adapted to climatic and environmental changes over time. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human skeletal remains from the Inariyama shell mound of the Final Jomon period have revealed large dietary variations in the population. This study analyzed radiocarbon dates of these individuals to test temporal changes in diet and its relationship with tooth ablation. Twenty-nine human skeletal remains from Inariyama were included in this study. Extracted bone collagen samples were purified to graphite. Then, radiocarbon dating of these samples was performed using the accelerator mass spectrometer. The radiocarbon ages of Inariyama ranged about, 3,230-2,140 cal BP and showed three peaks of occupation. In the early and late phases, terrestrial resource consumption and incisor extraction were observed, while marine resource consumption and canine extraction were observed in the middle phase. These temporal changes of diet and tooth ablation types occurred in parallel with climatic cooling and environmental change and help reveal how Holocene hunter-gatherers adapted to the changing environments.

Anthropogenic modifications to archaeological human bones from the lower Paraná River basin (Argentina)

Late Holocene hunter-gatherers from the lower Paraná River basin presented complex mortuary practices, among other cultural aspects. Recent archaeological excavations in the region have brought to light new evidence about postmortem anthropogenic modifications to human bones that allows us to discuss a relatively unexplored social aspect associated with funerary practices, namely, human corpse manipulation. In this work, we present and discuss postmortem anthropogenic modifications to human bones from five archaeological sites, including tool marks, thermal alteration and bone artifacts. The results show that this evidence is related to, on one hand, the preparation of secondary burials, which in some cases implied disarticulating and/or defleshing the body, and, on the other hand, a possible ancestor cult evidenced through using human bones as a raw material for making bone tools. In addition, the lack of differences between the archaeological sites regarding mortuary practices in general and the abovementioned evidence in particular does not allow us to establish local differences based on a specific mortuary pattern. Instead, similarities between these practices suggest that the societies inhabiting the region shared the same cultural background.

Rare Late Pleistocene-early Holocene human mandibles from the Niah Caves (Sarawak, Borneo).

The skeletal remains of Late Pleistocene-early Holocene humans are exceptionally rare in island Southeast Asia. As a result, the identity and physical adaptations of the early inhabitants of the region are poorly known. One archaeological locality that has historically been important for understanding the peopling of island Southeast Asia is the Niah Caves in the northeast of Borneo. Here we present the results of direct Uranium-series dating and the first published descriptions of three partial human mandibles from the West Mouth of the Niah Caves recovered during excavations by the Harrissons in 1957. One of them (mandible E/B1 100") is somewhat younger than the ‘Deep Skull’ with a best dating estimate of c30-28 ka (at 2σ), while the other two mandibles (D/N5 42–48" and E/W 33 24–36") are dated to a minimum of c11.0–10.5 ka (at 2σ) and c10.0–9.0 ka (at 2σ). Jaw E/B1 100" is unusually small and robust compared with other Late Pleistocene mandibles suggesting that it may have been ontogenetically altered through masticatory strain under a model of phenotypic plasticity. Possible dietary causes could include the consumption of tough or dried meats or palm plants, behaviours which have been documented previously in the archaeological record of the Niah Caves. Our work suggests a long history back to before the LGM of economic strategies involving the exploitation of raw plant foods or perhaps dried and stored meat resources. This offers new insights into the economic strategies of Late Pleistocene-early Holocene hunter-gatherers living in, or adjacent to, tropical rainforests.

Entheseal changes among late Holocene hunter-gatherers from the southern extreme of La Plata basin (Argentina)

Different aspects of bone morphology have been studied worldwide with the purpose of explaining their causative factors and if they are suitable for inferring activities from past societies. Among them, entheseal changes have been widely analyzed and several researchers agree on their multifactorial etiology. The main objective of this work is to understand patterns of variation in entheseal changes in a sample of adult individuals of both sexes from late Holocene complex hunter-gatherers that inhabited the southern point of the La Plata basin. For that purpose, entheseal ruggedness at fibrous and fibrocartilaginous entheses is analyzed in relation to age, sex, body size, midshaft robusticity indices (as a probable proxy of physical activity levels), and archaeological site variability, through generalized linear models. The results show that physical activity, sex and age are the most important factors in determining entheseal morphology. Generally, high levels of entheseal changes were found among males, in older and large-bodied individuals, and among robust anatomical units. However, some entheses showed an inverse pattern. This leads us to propose that social (sexual and age division of labor) as well as biological factors (hormones, genetic and degenerative changes) could have an influence on entheseal changes. No differences were found between fibrous and fibrocartilaginous entheses.

δ13C and δ15N in organic residues of Patagonia pottery. Implications for studies of diet and subsistence strategies among late Holocene hunter-gatherers

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 strategies among hunter-gatherer groups in Patagonia during the late Holocene. The sample included forty-six potsherds recovered from forest (n = 21), steppe (n = 15) and Atlantic coast (n = 10) sites located in different latitudes of the continental Argentine Patagonia. Our data indicates that the type of food processed in the ceramic vessels may have depended on the availability of resources in each environment. Lower-than-expected δ13C-values likely suggest the cooking of animal fat, while δ15N-values are good indicators of the environmental origin of the cooked resources. This is a reconnaissance study that seeks a broad inter-environmental comparison in order to understand the processing and consumption of food after 1000 years BP, when pottery was adopted by Patagonian hunter-gatherer groups.

Early art in the Urals: new research on the wooden sculpture from Shigir

Abstract

Mobility and Place Making in Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Italy

This paper offers a revised overview and model of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Italy, one that questions and extends existing materialist, evolutionary and ecological perspectives through an emphasis on the socio-cultural dynamics of mobility and place making. Particular attention is paid to selected caves and rock shelters, which gained an anchoring power through the repeated performance of mundane and ritual practices, but never to the point of immobile sedentism.

Hunting in yellow waters: an ethnoarchaeological perspective on selective fishing on Lake Turkana

As riverine and lacustrine environments expanded across north tropical Africa during early Holocene times, certain characteristic fishing or “aquatic hunting” strategies became widespread. This paper investigates one such strategy and an associated technology: selective fishing and barbed bone “harpoon” points in the Turkana Basin, northwest Kenya. These tools have a geographically widespread distribution across Africa, primarily north of the equator, and can shed light on hunter-gatherer technology and resource acquisition in the face of environmental and social change. Interviews with contemporary Turkana fishers highlight near-shore fishing practices analogous to those of early Holocene hunter-gatherers. For example, Turkana fishers exploiting deltaic “yellow waters” have traditionally employed selective harpoon-like tools to acquire large aquatic fauna like Lates niloticus (Nile perch) and Synodontis sp. (catfish), while using non-selective traps, hooks and nets to catch smaller and deeper-water species. These practices have changed over several decades in response to local socioeconomic and environmental shifts. Today these selective strategies show a marked seasonality and regional variability that the archaeological record of this region has thus far been ill-equipped to investigate. Through carefully constructed analogy, this preliminary work contributes to a better understanding of human technological and behavioral responses to shifting lakeshore environments today and during early Holocene times.

Mobility, subsistence, and technological strategies of early Holocene hunter-gatherers in the Bolivian Altiplano

The Altiplano constitutes the most extensive, high-elevation terrain in South America. Most archaeological research on the earliest human occupation of this region in the Bolivian Andes derives from sites such as Viscachani where the emphasis has been on typological comparisons of projectile points, rather than on complete and radiometrically dated assemblages. In this paper, we present survey and excavation data from the Iroco region in the Central Altiplano of Bolivia to address questions related to the adaptive strategies engaged by Archaic Period highland foragers. Specifically, we focus on the nature of mobility, subsistence, and technological strategies, stemmed from principles in human behavioral ecology. Based on data from radiocarbon dates, lithic, and faunal analyses, we suggest that, similar to other mobile foraging societies in arid environments, highland foragers in Iroco engaged in seasonal residential mobility, consumed a broad range of faunal resources, and developed a curated technological toolkit within the context of ameliorated environmental conditions that prevailed during the early Holocene (11,500–8000 cal BP).

Pottery use by early Holocene hunter-gatherers of the Korean peninsula closely linked with the exploitation of marine resources

The earliest pottery on the Korean peninsula dates to the early Holocene, notably later than other regions of East Asia, such as Japan, the Russian Far East and Southern China. To shed light on the function of such early Korean pottery and to understand the motivations for its adoption, organic residue analysis was conducted on pottery sherds and adhered surface deposit on the wall of pottery vessels (foodcrusts) excavated from the Sejuk shell midden (7.7–6.8ka calBP) on the southeastern coast and the Jukbyeon-ri site (7.9–6.9ka calBP) on the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula, that represents the earliest pottery assemblages with reliable radiocarbon dates. Through chemical and isotopic residue analysis, we conclude that the use of pottery at these sites was oriented towards marine resources, supported by lipid biomarkers typical of aquatic organisms and stable carbon isotope values that matched authentic marine reference fats. The findings contrast with other archaeological evidence, which shows that a wider range of available food resources were exploited. Therefore, we conclude pottery was used selectively for processing aquatic organisms perhaps including the rendering of aquatic oils for storage. Early pottery use in Korea is broadly similar to other prehistoric temperate hunter-gatherers, such as in Japan, northern Europe and northern America. However, it is also notable that elaborately decorated red burnished pottery excavated from isolated location at the Jukbyeon-ri site had a different usage pattern, which indicates that division of pottery use by vessel form was established even at this early stage.

La identificación del uso de fuentes secundarias de materiales líticos asistida por SIG: el Arroyo Chasicó (Argentina) como caso de estudio

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar la metodología implementada en la cuenca del Arroyo Chasicó (sur de la Región Pampeana Argentina), orientada a discutir el uso diferencial de fuentes de materias primas líticas primarias y secundarias en relación con la organización espacial y tecnológica en sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras del Holoceno tardío. La metodología se basa en el análisis comparativo de curvas construidas con datos procedentes de transectos virtuales, trazados sobre modelos espaciales continuos representando diferentes propiedades de los “paisajes líticos” del área de estudio. Tales modelos se generaron por interpolación mediante la técnica denominada Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) a partir de información procedente de localizaciones puntuales (i.e. sitios y localidades arqueológicos; n = 12). Las materias primas investigadas fueron riolitas y dos variedades de cuarcita y las variables consideradas fueron frecuencia relativa y peso relativo, expresadas ambas en términos porcentuales (F% y P%, respectivamente) e índice de corteza (IC). Los resultados obtenidos indican que, para ambas variedades de cuarcitas, la explotación de fuentes secundarias —distribuidas a lo largo de la cuenca— fue mayor que la de las primarias, mientras que las riolitas fueron obtenidas, principalmente, de las fuentes primarias situadas en las cabeceras.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) in the Okhotsk culture (5th-10th century AD) of northern Japan and the role of cultivated plants in hunter-gatherer economies.

This paper discusses archaeobotanical remains of naked barley recovered from the Okhotsk cultural layers of the Hamanaka 2 archaeological site on Rebun Island, northern Japan. Calibrated ages (68% confidence interval) of the directly dated barley remains suggest that the crop was used at the site ca. 440–890 cal yr AD. Together with the finds from the Oumu site (north-eastern Hokkaido Island), the recovered seed assemblage marks the oldest well-documented evidence for the use of barley in the Hokkaido Region. The archaeobotanical data together with the results of a detailed pollen analysis of contemporaneous sediment layers from the bottom of nearby Lake Kushu point to low-level food production, including cultivation of barley and possible management of wild plants that complemented a wide range of foods derived from hunting, fishing, and gathering. This qualifies the people of the Okhotsk culture as one element of the long-term and spatially broader Holocene hunter–gatherer cultural complex (including also Jomon, Epi-Jomon, Satsumon, and Ainu cultures) of the Japanese archipelago, which may be placed somewhere between the traditionally accepted boundaries between foraging and agriculture. To our knowledge, the archaeobotanical assemblages from the Hokkaido Okhotsk culture sites highlight the north-eastern limit of prehistoric barley dispersal. Seed morphological characteristics identify two different barley phenotypes in the Hokkaido Region. One compact type (naked barley) associated with the Okhotsk culture and a less compact type (hulled barley) associated with Early–Middle Satsumon culture sites. This supports earlier suggestions that the “Satsumon type” barley was likely propagated by the expansion of the Yayoi culture via south-western Japan, while the “Okhotsk type” spread from the continental Russian Far East region, across the Sea of Japan. After the two phenotypes were independently introduced to Hokkaido, the boundary between both barley domains possibly existed ca. 600–1000 cal yr AD across the island region. Despite a large body of studies and numerous theoretical and conceptual debates, the question of how to differentiate between hunter–gatherer and farming economies persists reflecting the wide range of dynamic subsistence strategies used by humans through the Holocene. Our current study contributes to the ongoing discussion of this important issue.

Magnetic Alteration of Soils by Late Holocene Hunter–Gatherer Groups (Tierra Del Fuego, South America)

The present work aims to analyse the magnetic signature from the Late Holocene open‐air archaeological deposits of hunter–gatherer ephemeral occupations. For this purpose, two profiles were sampled at the Marazzi 2 site in the north‐western Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile, in order to carry out studies of magnetic susceptibility, hysteresis cycles, back‐field remanent magnetization, isothermal remanent magnetization and thermal variation of magnetic susceptibility at high and low temperature. Despite short‐term occupations, the P1 profile shows a magnetic peak at a depth of ~30–70 cm due to magnetite, probably formed by anthropogenic activity related to combustion. The P2 profile instead yields an anomalous peak of coercivity (at a depth of 20–40 cm), which could also be anthropogenic, due to the presence of finely dispersed ancient ‘red ochre’. The red ochre is proposed to form anthropogenic thermal alteration of goethite associated with volcanic ash, the remnants of which were found in thin sections from the P2 subsoil.