The temporary dimension and the funerary phenomenon among the ancient Canarians

Abstract

In archaeological cultures, classifying historical processes is a complex task when their timeframe is missing. Such a circumstance has represented a secular handicap hindering the knowledge of the first inhabitants of Gran Canaria, accentuated by the shortage of chronological references that allow the understanding of the occupation of a territory defined by its insular condition. This has led to the idea of a ‘simple culture’ in which the numerous expressions of the development of these populations have always been the same, without significant changes, at least as far as its essential components are concerned. In order to overcome this limitation, this paper addresses the diachrony of funerary practices of the ancient Canarian, trying to explain it within the context of the historical processes that defined their lives. Here we resort to Bayesian statistical modelling of 104 radiocarbon dates from 25 funerary sites spread across the island. The results show an evident ordering of the funerary phenomenon, with intervals of deep transformations in a changing social scenario, related to the process of occupation on the island and the evolution of the socioeconomic organization of this human group. Likewise, in the debate on the dates of the first colonizing arrival, the iiith century ad is set as the starting point for the effective occupation of the island.

Keywords

• periodo prehispánico
• gran canaria
• cronología
• fechas radiocarbónicas
• estadística bayesiana