Archaeological Research in the Canary Islands: Island Archaeology off Africa’s Atlantic Coast

Mitchell, Peter

doi:10.1007/s10814-023-09186-y

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 159 publications

(204 reference statements)

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“…The arrival time of human and livestock on the Canary Islands is still debated, revealing a paradoxical timeline spanning almost 1000 years [ 30 ]. Indeed, several authors have suggested an early colonization during the 1st millennium BC, when the Amazigh peoples started occupying the Archipelago, while others argue for a more recent arrival dating back to the Roman period [ 1 , 2 , 31 , 32 ]. The Imazighen ethnic and linguistic family extends through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania as well as small pockets of Mali, Niger, and Egypt.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The demographic history and adaptation of Canarian goat breeds to environmental conditions through the use of genome-wide SNP data

Senczuk,

Macrì,

Di Civita

et al. 2024

Genet Sel Evol

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Background The presence of goats in the Canary Islands dates back to the late 1st millennium BC, which coincides with the colonization by the Amazigh settlers. However, the exact geographic origin of Canarian goats is uncertain since the Amazigh peoples were distributed over a wide spatial range. Nowadays, three Canarian breeds (Palmera, Majorera and Tinerfeña) are officially recognized, along with two distinct South and North Tinerfeña ecotypes, with the South Tinerfeña and Majorera goats thriving in arid and dry semi-desertic environments and the Palmera and North Tinerfeña goats are adapted to humid and temperate areas that are influenced by trade winds. Genotypes for 224 Canarian goats were generated using the Illumina Goat single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)50 BeadChip. By merging these data with the genotypes from 1007 individuals of African and Southern European ancestry, our aim was to ascertain the geographic origin of the Canarian goats and identify genes associated with adaptation to diverse environmental conditions. Results The diversity indices of the Canarian breeds align with most of those of the analyzed local breeds from Africa and Europe, except for the Palmera goats that showed lower levels of genetic variation. The Canarian breeds demonstrate a significant genetic differentiation compared to other populations, which indicates a history of prolonged geographic isolation. Moreover, the phylogenetic reconstruction indicated that the ancestry of the Canarian goats is fundamentally North African rather than West African. The ADMIXTURE and the TreeMix analyses showed no evidence of gene flow between Canarian goats and other continental breeds. The analysis of runs of homozygosity (ROH) identified 13 ROH islands while the window-based FST method detected 25 genomic regions under selection. Major signals of selection were found on Capra hircus (CHI) chromosomes 6, 7, and 10 using various comparisons and methods. Conclusions This genome-wide analysis sheds new light on the evolutionary history of the four breeds that inhabit the Canary Islands. Our findings suggest a North African origin of the Canarian goats. In addition, within the genomic regions highlighted by the ROH and FST approaches, several genes related to body size and heat tolerance were identified.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The demographic history and adaptation of Canarian goat breeds to environmental conditions through the use of genome-wide SNP data

Senczuk,

Macrì,

Di Civita

et al. 2024

Genet Sel Evol

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Animal Consumption at Hospital de San Martín (Gran Canaria): First Zooarchaeological Analysis in the Modern Era of the Canary Islands (Fifteenth-Eighteenth Centuries CE)

Brito-Mayor,

Santana,

Moreno-García

et al. 2023

Int J Histor Archaeol

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The Canary Islands were initially colonized around 200 CE by North African Berber populations who brought with them domestic plants and animals. These communities remained isolated until the arrival of Europeans in the Late Middle Ages which triggered the conquest of the archipelago. Its geostrategic location in the framework of Atlantic expansion facilitated the arrival of people, knowledge, goods, plants, and animals which served to shape the new Canarian society. This study explores the dietary practices of this period through the zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains recovered at the Hospital de San Martín (fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain). Our results suggest that caprines were the main taxa consumed. This follows both the pre-colonial Indigenous tradition and, according to historical sources, the subsequent European period. The faunal assemblage recovered also reveals the first directly radiocarbon-dated cases in the Canary Islands of three hitherto unknown species: cattle, chicken, and rabbit. Moreover, the results evidence a progressive increase throughout the Modern Era of chicken and rabbit, and that translocating these new species to the archipelago during the European expansion led to a diversification of meat resources.

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Shell Midden Archaeology: Current Trends and Future Directions

Rick

2023

J Archaeol Res

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Since the 19th century, the study of shell middens has played an important role in archaeological research. Shell midden and broader coastal archaeology have transformed our understanding of human relationships with aquatic habitats, demonstrating the importance of marine environments to human evolution and ecology, the colonization of islands and establishment of maritime trade networks, changing social and political dynamics, and a variety of other issues. During the past two decades, shell midden research has greatly increased, marking an exciting time for new discoveries and heightened collaboration with Indigenous communities. Several key research trends in shell midden archaeology during the past 10–15 years include research on site distribution and temporality, underwater archaeology, historical ecology, terraforming, landscape legacies, and community collaboration. These research trends demonstrate the ways in which shell midden archaeologists are shaping our understanding of the human past and environmental change around the world.

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Archaeological Research in the Canary Islands: Island Archaeology off Africa’s Atlantic Coast

Cited by 7 publications

References 159 publications

The demographic history and adaptation of Canarian goat breeds to environmental conditions through the use of genome-wide SNP data

The demographic history and adaptation of Canarian goat breeds to environmental conditions through the use of genome-wide SNP data

Animal Consumption at Hospital de San Martín (Gran Canaria): First Zooarchaeological Analysis in the Modern Era of the Canary Islands (Fifteenth-Eighteenth Centuries CE)

Shell Midden Archaeology: Current Trends and Future Directions

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