Title of article :
The Iberian-Guanche rock inscriptions at La Palma Is.: all seven Canary Islands (Spain) harbour these scripts
Author/Authors :
arnaiz-villena, antonio university complutense - school of medicine - department of inmunology, Madrid, Spain , suárez-trujillo, fabio university complutense - school of medicine - department of inmunology, Madrid, Spain , ruiz-del-valle, valentín university complutense - school of medicine - department of inmunology, Madrid, Spain , lópez-nares, adrián university complutense - school of medicine - department of inmunology, Madrid, Spain , pais-pais, felipe jorge museo arqueológico benahoarita, La Palma, Spain
Abstract :
Rock Iberian-Guanche inscriptions have been found in all Canary Islands including La Palma: they consist of incise (with few exceptions) lineal scripts which have been done by using the Iberian semi-syllabary that was used in Iberia and France during the 1st millennium BC until few centuries AD .This confirms First Canarian Inhabitants navigation among Islands. In this paper we analyze three of these rock inscriptions found in westernmost La Palma Island: hypotheses of transcription and translation show that they are short funerary and religious text, like of those found widespread through easternmost Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and also Tenerife Islands. They frequently name “Aka” (dead), “Ama” (mother godness) and “Bake” (peace), and methodology is mostly based in phonology and semantics similarities between Basque language and prehistoric Iberian-Tartessian semi-syllabary transcriptions. These Iberian-Guanche scripts are widespread in La Palma usually together with spiral and circular typical Atlantic motifs which are similar to these of Megalithic British Isles, Brittany (France) and Western Iberia. Sometimes linear incise Iberian-Guanche inscriptions are above the circular ones (more recent) but they are also found underneath (less recent). The idea that this prehistoric Iberian semi-syllabary was originated in Africa and/or Canary Islands is not discarded. It is discussed in the frame of Saharian people migration to Mediterranean, Atlantic (i.e.: Canary Islands) and other areas, when hyperarid climate rapidly established. On the other hand, an Atlantic gene and possibly linguistic and cultural pool is shared among people from British Isles, Brittany (France), Iberia (Spain, Portugal), North Africa and Canary Islands.
Keywords :
La Palma , Iberian , Guanche , Latin , Inscriptions , Iberian , Celts , Sahara , Africa , Garafia , Santo Domingo , Canary Islands , Lybic British , Brittons , Basque , Irish , Lybic Canarian , Palmeses , Benahoaritas , Awaritas , Tricias , Prehistory , Guache , Tartessian.
Journal title :
International Journal of Modern Anthropology
Journal title :
International Journal of Modern Anthropology