Archaeology of the Canary Islands
Archaeology of the Canary Islands
- Verónica Alberto-Barroso, Verónica Alberto-BarrosoTibicena, Arqueología y Patrimonio - Archaeology
- Teresa Delgado-DariasTeresa Delgado-DariasEl Museo Canario - Archaeology
- , and Javier Velasco-VásquezJavier Velasco-VásquezCabildo de Gran Canaria - Cultural Heritage Service
Summary
The Canaries were the only Macaronesian archipelago to have had a stable population before the European expansion in the Atlantic in the late Middle Ages. North African indigenous populations occupied the Canary Islands in the first centuries of the 1st millennium ce and formed island communities whose historical definition amalgamates traditions from their continental origin, local adaptations, and the social dynamics generated by periods of isolation, yet also includes occasional migratory events that affected some of the islands. This shaped populations with a particular development in each part of the archipelago that is manifested in different archaeological expressions. Thus, while some traits can be regarded as held in common, such as the agropastoral resources on which subsistence depended and certain domestic models and funerary practices, other materialities reflect autonomous sociocultural processes. The European conquest and colonization of the Canary Islands in the 15th century led to the sudden disappearance of those Insulo-Amazigh cultures, even though a few aspects have survived, such as some traditions, linguistic elements, foodstuffs, and a genetic footprint that can still be identified in the modern Canary population.
Keywords
Subjects
- Archaeology
- Cultural History
- North Africa and the Gulf