A case of sharp force trauma on an island without metals. Reconsidering isolation of pre-Hispanic Gran Canaria island

Abstract

This paper addresses the first case of perimortem trauma caused by a sharp metal weapon in a pre-Hispanic cranium in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) dated before the first contacts with Europeans in the late Middle Ages. The fact that metalliferous minerals did not exist in the archipelago confers extraordinary significance to this injury, as evidence of an event involving the arrival of new population after the initial colonization of the Island around the 2nd century CE.The chronocultural context of the violent event is analized in order to evaluate the possible role of this contact in the processes of change among ancient canarians. To this end statistical chronological modelling is assessed to specify timing behind major archaeological expressions of shifts detected on the island.The results question the traditionally proposed isolation for the indigenous population, and reinforce the most recent proposals suggesting migration of new North African people to Gran Canaria and their contribution to the socioeconomical dynamics of the pre-Hispanic society.