Cemeteries, social change and migration in the time of the Ancient Canarians

Abstract

This paper delves into the proposal for periodisation of funerary practices among the Ancient Canarians. New radiocarbon dates are provided together with a Bayesian treatment used to estimate the onset and later tempo of the three burial categories previously established: caves, tumuli, and pit-graves/cists, as well as their temporal activity patterns. Changes in funerary practices can only be understood within the social framework of reference which in the case of Gran Canaria needs to be reconsidered. To substantiate this claim, the period corresponding to pit-graves and cist burials from 11th-15th centuries AD is reviewed, in an attempt to identify the innovations that arise during this phase. It is concluded that the new developments identified in the archaeological record seem to be caused by foreign stimuli, stemming from the arrival of new North African settlers that act as agents of change.