Between the ninth and fifth century BC most Iberian communities of the Late Bronze Age evolved as a result of cultural and material contributions received directly or indirectly from the first Mediterranean colonists, the people of the Atlantic seaboard and Central European influences, as evidenced by the presence of imported goods and their transformation or imitation.
These societies were organized according to rules of conduct, relations and rituals that were often justified as the will of the group’s divine protectors, expressed through their human intermediaries, and were reflected even in the location and structure of settlements and necropolises.
Photos: Füsun Kavrakoğlu, National Archaeological Museum, Madrid, 2026.
Canarian Archaeology
Before the Roman Empire completed its expansion, the Canary Islands were colonized by peoples from the African continent. The earliest signs of human occupation are found on the islands of Lanzarote and Tenerife, while the rest were not settled until the dawn of the Common Era. The first inhabitants have been identified as Libyan peoples (Berbers). They were followed by successive waves of new arrivals that gradually incorporated a growing number of Europeans until the official conclusion of the Spanish conquest in 1496. These human and cultural inputs, combined with the unique environmental characteristics of each island, gave rise to visible differences in their material culture.
Our knowledge of the remotest past of Canary Islanders is based on archaeological evidence and the accounts of the first European chroniclers, who lived alongside the islands’ local communities or their direct descendants. These texts offer us detailed descriptions of the customs and ways of life of a society whose subsistence economy contrasted sharply with surrounding cultures.
One of the most significant archaeological features of La Palma is its petroglyphs. Although found across the island, they tend to be concentrated in certain areas, suggesting the possible existence of a hierarchy of insular, local and family use, especially as some are located beside once-occupied caves.
National Archaeological Museum, Madrid.
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