Estratigrafías, cronologías absolutas y periodización cultural de la protohistoria de Lanzarote

Abstract

This work analyses four settlements on the island of Lanzarote which have many features in common, both from a geological and an archaeological perspective. From these settlements, we have gained knowledge of the processes of formation and destruction of the paleosoil on the island, as well as information about the chronological and cultural context surrounding these processes. This has enabled us to propose a stratigraphic, chronological and cultural sequence of Lanzarote’s protohistoric period. For this investigation we have used a wide range of unique contextualised chronometric references in various stratigraphic sequences which have been calibrated and subjected to standardised deviation indices. The dating is organised in series based on the type of sample analysed, the analysis procedure used and the strata from which the sample was taken, allowing us to estimate the chronological limit values for each strata and to establish the calibration averages by series and strata. All the dating sequences show a very similar general pattern, dating distinct moments of Lanzarote’s historical past between the 6th century B.C. and the 14th century A.D., the latter being very close to the beginning of the Norman-Castilian conquest which was responsible for bringing to an end the island’s protohistoric period.