The Canary Islands were colonised during the early centuries of the Common Era where after they were isolated until discovered by European sailors during the 14th century. The archipelago thus provides a unique opportunity of how agriculture develops during long periods of isolation. On Gran Canaria remains of crop plants can still be find in the storage silos of the original colonisers. The storage conditions are exceptional and seeds found can be genetically analysed.
In this project we will analyse archaeological remains from the storage silos on Gran Canaria and compare them with extant plant samples from the Canary Islands and the mainland in order to study how agriculture developed on the islands before and after the Spanish conquest.