Zanata Stone
Encyclopedia
The Zanata Stone is a small rock
with inscriptions presumably of Guanche
origin. The stone was found in 1992 near a mountain known as Montaña de las Flores (Mountain of the Flowers), in the municipality of El Tanque (in the northwestern part of Tenerife
). The stone depicts a kind of fish, and according to Rafael Gonzalez Antón, the director of the Archaeological Museum of Tenerife, its characters appear to be Tifinagh
, an alphabetic script used by some Berber peoples. The stone was analyzed by Rafael Muñoz, professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies of the University of La Laguna
. The stone is considered the Rosetta Stone
of the Canary Islands
. The Zanata Stone seems to have been related to magical-religious world of the Guanches.
The Zanata Stone seems to support the theory of a Punic presence in the archipelago that utilized Berber labor. Some Guanches of Tenerife were known as Zanata or Zenete, or "those with a cut tongue". Presently, the Zanata Stone is in the Archaeological Museum of Tenerife
(Santa Cruz de Tenerife
).
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
with inscriptions presumably of Guanche
Guanche
Guanche may refer to:*Guanches, an aboriginal people of the Canary Islands*Guanche language, extinct language, used to be spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century...
origin. The stone was found in 1992 near a mountain known as Montaña de las Flores (Mountain of the Flowers), in the municipality of El Tanque (in the northwestern part of Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
). The stone depicts a kind of fish, and according to Rafael Gonzalez Antón, the director of the Archaeological Museum of Tenerife, its characters appear to be Tifinagh
Tifinagh
Tifinagh is a series of abjad and alphabetic scripts used by some Berber peoples, notably the Tuareg, to write their language.A modern derivate of the traditional script, known as Neo-Tifinagh, was introduced in the 20th century...
, an alphabetic script used by some Berber peoples. The stone was analyzed by Rafael Muñoz, professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies of the University of La Laguna
University of La Laguna
The University of San Fernando de La Laguna, also known as the ULL is situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands, and has the highest student population of any university in these islands. It is also considered the most...
. The stone is considered the Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek...
of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. The Zanata Stone seems to have been related to magical-religious world of the Guanches.
The Zanata Stone seems to support the theory of a Punic presence in the archipelago that utilized Berber labor. Some Guanches of Tenerife were known as Zanata or Zenete, or "those with a cut tongue". Presently, the Zanata Stone is in the Archaeological Museum of Tenerife
Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre
Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre , , is a museum based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, . It contains many significant archaeological finds and is considered the best repository of objects from the Prehispanic Canary Islands...
(Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
).