Exploring Rock Art Application Techniques: An Experimental Approach To Study Rock Paintings from La Candelaria (Catamarca, Argentina)

LANDINO, MATÍAS; AHETS ETCHEBERRY, EUGENIA; GHECO, LUCAS; GASTALDI, MARCOS; TASCÓN, MARCOS; QUESADA, MARCOS; MARTE, FERNANDO

Torum

Conferencia; Experimental Archaeology Conference 2023; 2023

Nicolas Copernicus University in Torum

Experimental archaeology has proved to be an outstanding approach for studying rock art technology. In this sense, experimental programs can shed light to the macroscopic survey of application techniques through identifying material traces left during painting execution. Despite their relevance for enlightening the constitutive interactions between beings, materials, times and spaces established during making rock paintings, the application techniques usually remain unknown. This is the case of the paintings discovered at La Candelaria cave, in El Alto-Ancasti Mountain (Catamarca, Argentina). Aiming to contribute to this problem, this presentation reports an experimental approach to four application techniques (with a finger, with a swab, with a hair paint brush and with a wooden stick) in order to detect the material traces left by each one. The experiments were performed with three kind of binders and one pigment (gypsum). Then, the obtained data were used to advance in the macroscopic recording of the rock paintings of La Candelaria, allowing the identification of its different application techniques. Finally, this work highlights the importance of feedbacking rock art in situ surveys with experimental programs.