Main Article Content

“Latín” rock scripts in Canary Islands are ancient Iberian inscriptions (Iberian-Guanche) A story of forgotten genetics, scripts, pyramids and other prehistoric artifacts


Antonio Arnaiz-Villena
Adrian Lopez-Nares
Ignacio Juárez
Valentín Ruizdel-Valle
Álvaro Callado
Alejandro H-Sevilla
Eduardo Gomez-Casado

Abstract

“Latin” rock scripts were discovered 30 years ago in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura Islands (Canary Islands). However, they are an incised linear writing which lacks Q, H, P and T frequent Latin letters and translation into Latin has not been possible. A transcription and a translation hypothesis was proposed long ago because scripts were almost identical to those of the Iberian semi-syllabary which was used in Iberia and France during first millennium BC; “Latin” scripts were named “IberianGuanche” and were mostly religious and funerary. This type of lineal incise writing is present in all seven Canary Islands and they may have been unnoticed because all other islands except Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are humid and covered by vegetation. This type of linear writings are, like Iberian, similar to Runes (Atlantic and Central Europe),Old Italian scripts (Raetian, Venetic, Lepontic, Etruscan) and Sitovo and Gradeshnistsa scripts (Bulgaria, 5th millennium BC). Language behind Iberian-Guanche scripts might be related to both Berber and Old Basque languages. People who wrote “Iberian-Guanche” inscriptions seem to be Canary Island inhabitants and not visitors. Genes (people) of present and past Canary Islanders are difficult only to assign to North Africa because gene flow between North Africa and Iberia existed in prehistoric times and it is difficult to distinguish Iberian and North African with Canarian gene profiles. Genetics by itself is not sufficient for relating people or specific for geography, this is firmly demonstrated for mitochondrial genes. Linguistics, Culture, and Archaeology are necessary to interpret population genetics data. Extant pyramids in North Africa, Western Sahara and possibly Tenerife, existence of prehistoric artifacts and rock calendars (“Quesera”/Cheeseborad lunisolar calendar at Lanzarote and others at Gran Canaria Island) and presence of Cart-Ruts on Lanzarote volcano tops, may indicate an older date for Canarian prehistory than that of Punic/Roman presence. Finally Canarian prehistoric findings have been long neglected and forgotten but a common IberianGuanche rock writing culture existed in Canary Islands.

Keywords: Latin, Scripts, Canary Islands, Iberian, Guanche, Lybic, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Quesera, Cheeseboard, Pyramids, Berber, Africa, Punic, Roman, Western Sahara, Tunisia, Algeria, Canarian, Semi-Sillabary, Calendar, Raetian, Lepontic, Venetian, Etruscan, Basque, Cart-ruts, Sitovo, Gradeshnitsa, UskoMediterranean.


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1737-8176
print ISSN: 1737-7374