Carlos J. Gradin

Carlos J. Gradin
Carlos J. Gradin inspecting rock art at Cueva de las Manos
Born	20 May 1918
Died	31 March 2002  (aged 83)
Alma mater	University of Buenos Aires
Occupation	Archaeologist, surveyor
Employer	National Scientific and Technical Research Council
Spouse(s)	Ana María Aguerre

Carlos Joaquín Gradin (20 May 1918 – 31 March 2002), also known as Carlos Gradín, was an Argentine surveyor and archaeologist. He carried out numerous studies in the Patagonian region, and is known for his extensive studies of Cueva de las Manos. He was a member of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET).

Education and career

Gradin was a member of the Institute of Archaeology of the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires (School of Philosophy and Literature of the University of Buenos Aires).[1] He was a recognized specialist in Patagonian rock art.[1]

Gradin became a surveyor and archaeologist,[2] as well as a member of CONICET.[3][4][5] His career lasted for over 30 years.

Archaeological work

Gradin carried out numerous studies in the Patagonian region.[4] He was considered by Luis Abel Orquera to have been "the principal authority on indigenous Pampean-Patagonian art."[6]

Work at Cueva de las Manos

Carlos Gradin is known for his extensive studies of Cueva de las Manos. Gradin and his team's study of cave art in and around Cueva de las Manos formed the most important research on the site. Him and his team began excavating the sites in 1964, which marked the beginning of their 30-year-long study.[2][7][8]

In his studies, Gradin helped to separate the different stylistic sequences of the cave, and of rock art in Patagonia as a whole.[8][9][10][11]

The importance of his discoveries to the country's natural and cultural heritage resulted in the site being named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1999.[8]

Death and legacy

Carlos J. Gradin was born in 1918 and died[12] in 2002,[13][14] making him 83 years old at the time of his death.

Gradin has an Archaeological Museum named after him in Perito Moreno, Argentina.[9][15][16][17][18] As of 2019, the building is still under construction.[19]

References

1. Frere, María Magdalena; Aguerre, Ana Margarita (2020-07-15). "Restitución de los restos mortales encontrados en el cerro Yanquenao, provincia de Chubut" [Restitution of the mortal remains found at Cerro Yanquenao, province of Chubut]. Arqueología (in Spanish). 26 (2). Buenos Aires: 206. doi:10.34096/arqueologia.t26.n2.5943. ISSN 1853-8126. Carlos J. Gradín, especialista reconocido en el arte rupestre patagónico con proyección internacional, pertenecía al Instituto de Antropología de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la UBA con sede en el Museo Etnográfico.
2. Delegación Buenos Aires-MINPRO. "Cueva de las Manos". Cueva de las Manos (in Spanish). Perito Moreno, Argentina. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
3. ORTIZ-TRONCOSO, Omar R. (1980). "Inventory of Radiocarbon Dates from Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego". Journal de la Société des américanistes. 67: 187. doi:10.3406/jsa.1980.2193. ISSN 0037-9174. JSTOR 24610115 – via JSTOR.
4. Schobinger, Juan (April 1976). King, Mary Elizabeth (ed.). "Current Research". American Antiquity. 41 (2). Cambridge University Press: 234. doi:10.1017/S0002731600092453. ISSN 0002-7316. JSTOR 279175. S2CID 245681077 – via JSTOR.
5. Wainwright, Ian N.M.; Helwig, Kate; Rolandi, Diana S.; Gradin, Carlos; Mercedes Podestá, M.; Onetto, María; Aschero, Carlos A. (2002). Rock paintings conservation and pigment analysis at Cueva de las Manos and Cerro de los Indios, Santa Cruz (Patagonia), Argentina. Vol. 2. ICOM Preprints. p. 582. OCLC 938407252. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
6. Orquera, Luis Abel (December 1987). "Advances in the Archaeology of the Pampa and Patagonia". Journal of World Prehistory. 1 (4): 393. doi:10.1007/BF00974880. ISSN 0892-7537. JSTOR 25800531. S2CID 161730330. Gradin is the principal authority on indigenous Pampean-Patagonian art.
7. Schobinger, Juan (2016-12-05). The Ancient Americans: a reference guide to the art, culture, and history of pre-Columbian North and South America. Vol. 1. Translated by Evans-Corrales, Carys (1st ed.). Routledge. pp. 39–44, 57–61, 67 & 70. doi:10.4324/978131570375. ISBN 978-0-7656-8034-1. OCLC 967392115 – via ProQuest Ebook Central.
8. The Cueva de las Manos, Rio Pinturas WHC Nomination Documentation (PDF). Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
9. Onetto, María; Podestá, María Mercedes (2011). "Cueva de las Manos: An Outstanding Example of a Rock Art Site in South America" (PDF). Adoranten. Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art: 67–78.
10. Dobrez, Livio; Dobrez, Patricia (2014). "Canonical Figures and the Recognition of Animals in Life and Art". Boletín del Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. 19 (1): 9–22. doi:10.4067/s0718-68942014000100002. ISSN 0718-6894.
11. Fiore, Dánae (2008). "Art on the rocks: Argentina, 2000–2004". In Bahn, Paul G.; Franklin, Natalie R.; Strecker, Matthias (eds.). Rock art studies: news of the world. Vol. 3. Paul G. Bahn, Natalie R. Franklin, Matthias Strecker. Oxford: Oxford Books. pp. 313 & 315. ISBN 978-1-78297-590-8. JSTOR j.ctt1cd0p65. OCLC 908040896.
12. References to the death of Carlos J. Gradin:
    • Clottes, Jean (2016). What Is Paleolithic Art?: Cave Paintings and the Dawn of Human Creativity. Translated by Martin, Oliver Y.; Martin, Robert D. University of Chicago Press. p. 55. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226188065.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-226-26663-3. LCCN 2015029149.
    • Reinoso, Susana (2017-11-03). "Mensajes hallados en una cueva patagónica". www.clarin.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-21.
    • Relaciones de la Sociedad Argentina de Antropología XXXII (PDF), 2007. Buenos Aires.
13. "Lands, Hands And Cyanide: Mining Expansion In Northwest Santa Cruz". www.minesandcommunities.org. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
14. "Cueva de las Manos. Historia de las Investigaciones en el sitio arquelógico". www.cuevadelasmanos.org. INAPL. Archived from the original on 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
15. Onetto, Maria (2014). "Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas Cave Art". In Smith, Claire (ed.). Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Vol. 3. New York, NY: Springer. p. 1845. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1624. ISBN 978-1-4419-0426-3. LCCN 2013953915.
16. INAPL (2011). En tus manos... Cueva de las manos (in Spanish). Grupo de Apoyo.^[permanent dead link‍]
17. "Proyecto". www.diputados.gob.ar. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
18. "Cueva de las Manos: un viaje para reencontrarse con los antiguos pobladores patagónicos". Fondo Nacional de las Artes (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
19. Gutiérrez De Angelis, Marina; Winckler, Greta; Bruno, Paula; Guarini, Carmen (2019). "Rethinking Paleolithic Visual Culture throughout immersive technology: The site "Cueva de las Manos" as a virtual "Denkraum" (Patagonia, Argentina)". View. Theories and Practices of Visual Culture (25). Widok. Foundation for Visual Culture. doi:10.36854/widok/2019.25.2081. hdl:11336/168949. ISSN 2300-200X. S2CID 229288678.

Further reading

• Gradin, Carlos J. (1984). Investigaciones arqueológicas en Casa de Piedra. Ministerio de Educación y Cultura. OCLC 70516503.

External links

• Museo De Arqueología "Carlos Gradín" ["Carlos Gradín" Museum of Archeology] (in Spanish)—an article covering the new Carlos J. Gradin Museum of Archeology
• En Tus Manos… Cueva De Las Manos (PDF) [In Your Hands...Cave of the Hands] (in Spanish)—a brochure for the new Carlos J. Gradin Museum of Archeology