El Museo Canario, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35001, Spain.
Tarha Research Group, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35003, Spain.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2018 May;166(1):70-83. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23400. Epub 2018 Jan 4.
This paper addresses the prevalence and pattern of physical violence in the prehispanic society of Gran Canaria and discusses its link with the social structure and insular context in which that people lived.
347 prehispanic crania from Guayadeque Ravine (575-1415 AD) have been examined in order to determine the frequency, types, location, and timing of trauma.
Craniofacial injuries are present in 27.4% of the crania examined. Only 2% display perimortem trauma. Most of the injuries (84.3%) correspond to depressed blunt force trauma, with an ellipsoidal or circular shape. Most of these are in the anterior aspect of the cranium. Males are significantly more affected than females.
The aboriginal population of Gran Canaria show a high frequency of traumatic injuries to the skull compared to other archaeological groups. Their frequent location in the anterior aspect suggests regular face-to-face confrontations. However, the lethal injuries typically occurring in large-scale combat are scarce. Practices such as ritualized combat, mentioned in ethnohistorical sources, would help to channel and mitigate inter-group conflict. The predominance of depressed blunt force trauma is in accordance with the weapons used by those populations: hand-thrown stones, clubs and sticks. The higher frequency in males indicates that they took part in direct violence more than females did. The hierarchical organization of their society may have led to frequent situations of conflict. The insular nature of a territory barely 1,500 m in size was a determining factor in competition for access to food resources, especially at times of climate crises or population growth.
本文探讨了大加那利岛前西班牙社会中身体暴力的流行情况和模式，并讨论了其与该人群生活的社会结构和岛屿背景之间的联系。
为了确定创伤的频率、类型、位置和时间，对瓜亚德克峡谷（公元 575-1415 年）的 347 个前西班牙颅骨进行了检查。
在检查的颅骨中，颅面损伤的发生率为 27.4%。仅有 2%显示濒死性创伤。大多数损伤（84.3%）对应于凹陷性钝器伤，形状为椭圆形或圆形。这些大多位于颅骨的前侧。男性受到的影响明显大于女性。
与其他考古群体相比，大加那利岛的原住民颅骨创伤发生率较高。它们经常位于前侧表明存在面对面的常规冲突。然而，通常发生在大规模战斗中的致命性损伤却很少见。在民族历史资料中提到的仪式性战斗等做法，有助于疏导和减轻群体间的冲突。凹陷性钝器伤的高发率与这些人群使用的武器相符：投掷的手石器、棍棒和棍棒。男性的频率较高表明他们比女性更多地参与了直接暴力活动。他们社会的等级组织可能导致了频繁的冲突局面。一个面积仅 1500 米大小的岛屿的岛屿性质是争夺食物资源的决定性因素，尤其是在气候危机或人口增长时期。
