Die Einwanderung
Ueber die Herkunft der Guanchen ist wenig bekannt.
Wahrscheinlich gab es mehrere Besiedelungsphasen der Kanaren.
Die ersten Menschen wanderten vermutlich ab etwa 3000 BCE / v.Chr. von Nordosten auf die Kanaren ein. Archaeologische Ausgrabungen weisen auf eine Besiedlung aus Suedwesteuropa hin. Fuer eine Besiedlung aus Europa spricht die Hellhaeutigkeit der Altkanarier. Im Zeitraum von 500 bis 200 BCE / v.Chr. kamen weitere Menschen aus Nordafrika auf die Inseln. Wahrscheinlich fanden sie bereits mehrere Kleinkoenigreiche vor.
Early Settlement of the Canary Islands:
Genetic, Archaeological and Maritime Evidence for a Multi-Phase Model
The peopling of the Canary Islands was not limited to North African Berber groups (notably carriers of Y-DNA haplogroup E-M81) who very likely arrived there during the first millennium CE / n.Chr.. Instead, the evidence supports a more complex, multi-phase settlement history beginning much earlier. Genetic markers, prehistoric faunal finds, megalithic symbolism, and seafaring capabilities all strongly support the plausibility of an earlier wave of migration unrelated to the later Berber influx.
1. Genetic Evidence
mtDNA haplogroup U6b1a is unique to the Canary Islands, ancient (dated ~3500–3000 BCE), and shows no transitional presence in North Africa, suggesting long-term insular isolation and drift.
Y-DNA diversity among ancient islanders contradicts a single Berber origin:
* E-M81 (~27%) is typical for Berbers;
* E-M78 (~23%) includes subclades like E-M78α, mainly European – thus its presence alone does not prove North African ancestry;
* J-M267 (~17%) is widespread in the Levant and North Africa and megalithic zones;
* R-M269 and I-M170 point to European links.
This diversity suggests admixture or multiple settlement events, not exclusive colonisation by Berbers.
2. Archaeological Indicators
Zöller et al. dated goat remains on Lanzarote to around 4,300 BCE, implying early human contact or pre-colonial presence.
Megalithic petroglyphs (e.g. Spirals, Concentric circles, Meandering lines, Footsole motifs, Axe motifs) especially on El Hierro, La Palma and Gran Canaria resemble Atlantic European megalithic symbols.
Cultural connections to sites like Zambujal (Portugal), Carnac (France), or Vila Nova de São Pedro (Portugal) appear plausible.
3. Maritime Capabilities Before Phoenician Times
Western Mediterranean megalithic cultures had open-sea navigation skills by the 4th millennium BCE (e.g. settlement of the Balearic Islands).
A sea crossing of about 100 km from Morocco to the Canaries was feasible with prehistoric means.
Coastal traditions around the northern Mediterranean also support a possible Iberian route to the Canaries.
4. Settlement Model
First wave (~3500–2000 BCE): Small groups with a cosmopolitan megalithic gene pool (no E-M81), possibly via the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, from Iberia, from France or from NW Africa, of course.
Second wave (1st c. BCE – 4th c. CE): Groups from the Maghreb with high frequencies of E-M81, likely linked to Roman-Punic trade routes.
5. Conclusion
The indigenous population of the Canaries cannot be uniformly classified as "Berber" in genetic terms. Only about one-third belong to the E-M81 lineage. The presence of U6b1a and megalithic symbolism strongly suggest a pre-Berber settlement phase that remains archaeologically subtle but genetically and culturally distinct. The simplified narrative of a single Berber colonisation is insufficient; a multi-phase model incorporating both Neolithic and Iron Age inputs offers a more coherent explanation.