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Mar 13, 2023 9 tweets 6 min read Read on X
1492, The Taínos of Hispaniola informed Columbus and his crew about a group of fierce warriors who frequently raided the islands, often capturing women, and practiced cannibalism. They were talking about the Caribs, indigenous peoples from whom the Caribbean Sea gets its name. ImageImageImage
The Caribs represented the last wave of peopling in the Caribbean before the European colonization, following the footsteps of the Arawaks several centuries ago, emerging from the Orinoco River in Venezuela, sailing to the Antilles, even reaching the Bahamas. ImageImageImage
They were an invading force. However, there are two types of Caribs: Mainland Caribs / Kalina (Guianas and Venezuela) and Island Caribs / Kalinago (Lesser Antilles). Many of the latter did not speak a Cariban but an Arawakan language (Igneri); There are several theories about why ImageImage
Traditionally it's assumed that Carib society was profoundly exogamous. At some point, when the tribes grew large enough, unmarried young men formed war bands to conquer and take slave-wives, thus explaining the rapid expansion. ImageImage
The Caribs didn't include human meat in their daily diet, but they most likely practiced ritual cannibalism, especially after conquering a rival tribe. By devouring the enemy, the Carib warriors seized their possessions physically and symbolically. Image
This theory could explain why, upon the arrival of the Europeans, the mainland Caribbeans seemed to have abandoned cannibalism for the most part. The insular Caribs did not speak Carib because, as the Lesser Antilles was an area of recent conquest, women mostly spoke Arawakan. ImageImage
The Caribs sometimes adopted customs from the conquered peoples; some practiced agriculture, although their economy was based mainly on fishing and trade over long distances using canoes. That's probably why the Carib men of the Antilles spoke a Carib pidgin. ImageImageImage
Insular Caribs have long since ceased to exist, and the new inhabitants of the islands are predominantly of African descent. However, the mainland (Kalina) Caribs continue to exist today in small communities scattered along the rivers and coasts of Venezuela, Guianas, and Brazil ImageImageImageImage
If the Europeans had arrived in America a few centuries after Columbus, how far would the Carib expansion have gone? Image

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More from @Ulysses_Scheria

Aug 18, 2023
Short thread of illustrations by André Houot on Neolithic Switzerland. Image
Neolithic necropolis of Corseaux. Image
Corsier-Port (gE), circa 3000-2800 BC. A group abandons their village after having set it on fire. Image
Read 8 tweets
Aug 6, 2023
NEW IBERIAN COPPER AGE THREAD:
A study published early last month announced the surprising discovery that the so-called "ivory man" from the only known example of individual burial in Chalcolithic Iberia was, in fact, a woman. Image
First, I recommend you read my thread about Tholos de Montelirio since both stories are closely related, being part of the archaeological site of Valencian de la Concepción.
The tomb 10.042-10.049 is in the PP4-Montelirio sector located in the southern half of Valencia, adjacent to the Montelirio tholos and just 500m south of La Pastora tholos. This sector has 134 chalcolithic structures and 40 stratigraphic units of uncertain chronology.

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Read 19 tweets
Jul 9, 2023
Today I bring a long thread to introduce you to the mysterious ancient past of the Iberian Peninsula before Bronze, around a river that saw the birth of prosperous civilizations. Stay with me as we dive into the Tholos de Montelirio.



Discovered in 2007, Tholos de Montelirio has become one of the most important archeological sites for understanding the ancient cultures of Southern Iberia during the Copper Age. It's a burial mound from 2850-2700 BC located near Castilleja de Guzmán (Seville, SW Spain),

characterized by its circular shape, consisting of a stone structure with a central burial chamber (perhaps 4-5m high) and a smaller one, both accessed through a narrow passageway. It features a conspicuous use of red-stained slate for its walls.

Read 24 tweets
Apr 20, 2023
This thread is a brief follow-up to the one I wrote about the first repopulation in Castilla (Las Merindades). I present to you a legend attributed to this period.

THE JUDGES OF CASTILE


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According to legend, at some point close to the death of Alfonso II (842 AD), given the lack of aid and protection from the Kingdom of Asturias (added to their isolation), the early Castilians decided to be more autonomous.

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They appointed two judges to govern the land, Nuño Rasura and Laín Calvo, and to avoid suspicions of rebellion in the Kingdom, these men didn't come from the Castilian nobility but from their most trusted knights.
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Read 15 tweets
Apr 3, 2023
Castile. Birthplace of the Spanish language, big shot of the Reconquista, and perhaps the leading promoter of the nation that is Spain. Unfortunately, even today's Spaniards often overlook its origins. So here I want to present its humble yet crucial beginnings.
CONTEXT
By the first half of the 8th century, most of the last remains of the old Visigothic court, who did not pay allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate or left to the Kingdom of the Franks, took refuge behind the Cantabrian Mountains, and successfully resisted the Muslim invasion
The Kingdom of Asturias arose, ruled by kings who descended from Don Pelgius and the Dux Pedro de Cantabria. The initial expansion of this Christian kingdom was small and limited by a lack of strength, taking advantage of moments of instability in Al-Andalus.
Read 15 tweets

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