The ''Stone of the Guanches'', also known as ''Stone of Taganana'',Canarias Arqueológica, ver página 100
/ref> is an

engraved Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

stone stele located in the village of Afur (near Taganana), on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, Canary Islands,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is made of red

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...

volcanic rock.

Characteristics

This

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

consists of a structure formed by a stone block featuring large rock carvings on its surface, elevated on three more smaller rocks. The assembly has a similar appearance to a table. This monolithic block is associated with

mummification A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furt ...

practices of aboriginal

Guanches The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some west of Africa. It is believed that they may have arrived on the archipelago some time in the first millennium BCE. The Guanches were the only nativ ...

(the ''mirlado''). For this reason the stone is also called ''Mirlado stone'' or ''stone of the Dead''.La Piedra de los Guanches se quiebra y el Gobierno propone su restauración
/ref> This is a unique element in the context of the Canarian prehistory. The Guanche Stone is located on the littoral outdoor area in the ravine of Afur. They are engraved on the stone rows of bowls arranged vertically. It also highlights the presence of a representation of the Carthaginian goddess

Tanit Tanit ( Punic: 𐤕𐤍𐤕 ''Tīnīt'') was a Punic goddess. She was the chief deity of Carthage alongside her consort Baal-Hamon. Tanit is also called Tinnit. The name appears to have originated in Carthage (modern day Tunisia), though it doe ...

, represented by a ''bottle-shaped'' symbol surrounded by cruciform motifs. The general outline of the monument reminds the form of

stelae A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...

, such as the runestones. For this reason, it is thought that originally was an altar of sacrifice linked to those found in the Semitic field and then reused for the ritual of mummification.

References

{{coord missing, Spain Steles Guanche Archaeology of Tenerife Archaeological sites in Spain

Characteristics

See also

References