2. How?
The fundamental problem behind the colonization of the islands is that the inhabitants didn't know how to sail. There are scarce references about them doing it in late chronicles, but these references are dubious. Another factor was that they didn't use metals, but only stones and wood. Of course, the islands does not produce metals, so in any case the neolithic was forced. However, the only metal remains in archeological sytes belong to later European arrivals, not to the older ones. How this backward people could arrive to the islands? There are two main different hypothesis:
1. That the inhabitants came by themselves
2. That the inhabitants were transported by higher civilization
1. On their own: It was traditionally considered that this was the most probable option. I still think that some natives came by themselves, specially in later waves. Knowledge on North Africa conditions is scarce and poor archeological research has been made on the continental coast.
There are two problems to consider, three against and two in favour of this hypothesis:
*Against 1: in order to achieve a succesful colonization, it is not enough with two men for example, but it is needed a relatively large group of 50 or more people, so that they can reproduce and prevent decline because of endogamy. This point in favour of a large scale migration.
*Against 2: the genetic base of the natives seem to point in favour of great single first colonization of the islands, which settled the core of the native population.
*Against 3: the navigation skills of the ancient Berbers were to our knowledge very poor.
*In favour 1: there seem to be more than one colonization, some of them of reduced scale, as it happens in La Palma. Maybe some waves of colonizers were continental Berbers coming, in some way, on their own.
*In favour 2: in the islands, large animal husbandry was unknown. There were no cows, no horses, no donkeys, all of them very important to continental Berbers. These animals, specially equids, has proved to be able to survive ferals around the rugged territories of the islands, but all of them were carried to the islands by the Spanish.
Whoever colonized the Canaries first, were unable to carry on their "ships" or boats nothing more than goats, sheeps, pigs, cats and dogs. That means, medium to small domestic animals.
2. Transported
Because of the points I made before against and in favour of an indigenous colonization, most of authors today favour the colonization of the islands by one of those high civilizations. That is, you need large ships, navigation skills and a purpose to settle a large number of Berbers in the islands. Until very recently, it was unknown any settlement in the islands belonging to the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean or any items that could be related to them. This has changed in the later 10-15 years.
1. Phoenicians-Carthaginians: this is the hypothesis defended by Pablo Atoche, the author that appear in the newspapers posted before in this thread. He was a professor of mine in the university and I know well his points, as well as those of other authors on the same line. But I should say that I don't like his methods, for instead, he reject (to my knowledge) to openly share his excavations and findings, which make impossible for other authors to corroborate his affirmations.
Some points:
*Phoenicians and Carthaginians colonized the Atlantic coast to Mogador, to our knowledge. Their exploits were lichens to make dyes and fish, this has been well proved in archeological sytes of Morocco. That means, the Canaries were for centuries in the area of dominion.
*We know as well that they carried colonists in their expeditions. This happens with Hanno (who NOT tell about any finding of islands in the ocean).
*We know in short that they stablished a close relationship with their Berber subjects, to the point of mixing, the so called Lybio-Phoenicians. The known religious elements of the native population could be Punic, actually, and not Berber, so that Achaman-Alcorac is related to Baal Amon, and the cult to some female deities, to phoenician Tanit.
*Atoche affirm to have found the original Phoenician settlement in Lanzarote. He dated his findings between 10th and 3rd century BC.
*I once could listen a very experienced professor from Cádiz, expert in Punic writings, that some of the writings found in Lanzarote were Neo-Punic.
2. Greeks: very few authors have noticed this, but once I was reading about ancient travellers and found this very intriguing news about Eudoxus of Cyzicus
LacusCurtius ? Strabo's Geography ? Book*II Chapter*3
Accordingly, he abandoned the voyage to India and turned back; and on the voyage along the coast, he espied and made note of an island that was well-watered and well-wooded but uninhabited. And when he reached Maurusia safely he disposed of his boats, travelled on foot to the court of Bogus, and advised him to take up this expedition on his own account; but the friends of Bogus prevailed to the contrary, inspiring in him the fear that Maurusia might in consequence be easily exposed to hostile intrigue if the way thither had once been pointed out to outsiders who wished to attack it. And when Eudoxus heard that he was being sent out, ostensibly, on the expedition as proposed by him, but in reality was going to be placed out on some desert island, he fled to the territory that was under Roman dominion, and thence crossed over to Iberia. And again he built a round ship and a long ship of fifty oars, his purpose being to keep to the open sea with his long ship and to explore the coast with the round ship. He put on board agricultural implements, seeds, and carpenters, and again set out with a view to the same circumnavigation; his intention being, in case the voyage should be delayed, to spend the winter on the island he had previously observed, to sow the seed, reap the harvest therefrom, and then finish the voyage which he had decided upon at the outset.
"Now I," says Poseidonius, "have traced the story of Eudoxus to this point, but what happened afterwards probably the people of Gades and Iberia know."
3. Romans or Roman allies: they visisted the islands, extensively, for centuries. We have the very well known text about the expedition of Juba (actually, a North African cliet state). This is:
Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, BOOK VI. AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, NATIONS, SEAS, TOWNS, HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEOPLES WHO NOW EXIST, OR FORMERLY EXISTED., CHAP. 37. (32.)?THE FORTUNATE ISLANDS.
There are some authors who think that beyond these are the Fortunate Islands, and some others; the number of which Sebosus gives, as well as the distances, informing us that Junonia is an island seven hundred and fifty miles distant from Gades. He states also that Pluvialia3 and Capraria are the same distance from Junonia, to the west; and that in Pluvi- alia the only fresh water to be obtained is rain water. He then states that at a distance of two hundred and fifty miles from these, opposite the left of Mauritania, and situate in the direction of the sun at the eighth hour, are the Fortunate Islands, one of which, from its undulating surface, has the name of Invallis, and another that of Planasia, from the peculiarity8 of its appearance. He states also that the circumference of Invallis is three hundred miles, and that trees grow to a height of one hundred and fourteen feet.
Relative to the Fortunate Islands, Juba has ascertained the following facts: that they are situate to the south in nearly a due westerly direction, and at a distance from the Purple Islands of six hundred and twenty-five miles, the sailing being made for two hundred and fifty miles due west, and then three hundred and seventy-five towards the east. He states that the first is called Ombrios, and that it presents no traces of buildings whatever; that among the mountains there is a lake, and some trees, which bear a strong resemblance to giant fennel, and from which water is extracted; that drawn from those that are black is of a bitter taste, but that produced by the white ones is agreeable and good for drinking. He states also that a second island has the name of Junonia, but that it contains nothing beyond a small temple of stone: also that in its vicinity there is another, but smaller, island of the same name, and then another called Capraria, which is infested by multitudes of huge lizards. According to the same author, in sight of these islands is Ninguaria, which has received that name from its perpetual snows; this island abounds also in fogs. The one next to it is Canaria; it contains vast multitudes of dogs of very large size, two of which were brought home to Juba: there are some traces of buildings to be seen here. While all these islands abound in fruit and birds of every kind, this one produces in great numbers the date palm which bears the caryota, also pine nuts. Honey too abounds here, and in the rivers papyrus, and the fish called silurus, are found. These islands, however, are greatly annoyed by the putrefying bodies of monsters, which are constantly thrown up by the sea.
*Furthermore, in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria have been found an increasing amount of Roman pottery. Archeologists started to find them inside the water, in submarine archeological sytes, dating from the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD.
*Recently, a team of archeologist claim to have found a full Roman outpost in the island of Lobos, off Fuerteventura, with its buildings and pottery.
*The bulk of the most secure C14 datations belong to the Roman period.
*For me, the probabily of a Roman colonization is higher than that of Phoenicians-Punic. If it wasn't the first, the hypothetical Roman-Mauretanian colonization could the larger one, but this is speculative.
3. When? According to the previous hypothesis, between 10th and 1st centuries BC.
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Well I think I've talk too much about this by now, I hope you find this interesting.