Violence targeting children or violent society? Craniofacial injuries among the pre‐Hispanic subadult population of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands)

Abstract

The approach to Gran Canaria's pre‐Hispanic period has traditionally been dominated by a romantic and propitious view of its indigenous populations advocating a historical evolution on the margin of the conflicts and contradictions common to any society. Yet new data indicate that the ancient Canarians were subject to high rates of internal violence linked to the island's isolation and harsh biogeographical conditions, as well as marked personal differences and a strong hierarchization of the social order. However, the effects of such a degree of violence among the subadult population remain unknown. The study of the assemblage of the victims, particularly the younger members of society, requires a global analysis of the historical conditions to determine whether this violence was exceptional or habitual. The findings of this study point to a prevalence of trauma among subadults (surpassing 20%), thus bolstering the notion of a society with widespread physical violence affecting the whole population or at least that above the age of 5 or 6 years. The data also suggest widespread violence within the framework of interpersonal relationships rather than violence directed specifically against the population's younger sector.

A cut mark on the Mesolithic (ca. 5850 BC) cranium from Wieliszew (Poland): A revision of an analytical conclusion from previous studies

“…In this context, archaeologists and anthropologists try to find different pieces of evidence they can point to of violence among populations. The presence of violence can be interpreted both through artefacts (e.g., tool‐weapons and artistic representations; Thorpe, ) or traces of injuries to the bones (Valasco‐Vázquez, Delgado‐Darias, & Alberto‐Barroso, ). Of course, for bioarchaeological study, skeletal evidence provides useful insights.…”