Atlantis! The settlement of Cape Verde

[Tom Colton]

As much as terra nullius is a Very Bad and Evil tool of colonialism used to justify murdering and exploiting native populations, there are some parts of the world which weren't settled until very recently (like, in the last half-millennium), and the islands of Cape Verde happen to be one of those, showing no signs of human habitation until Portuguese colonisation in the 15th century. The clickbait title is because Cape Verde (being a bunch of remote islands in the Atlantic Ocean) has been raised as one candidate for Plato's Atlantis - alternatively, they could be identified with the supposed "Fortunate Islands" of antiquity.

At any rate, the general environs of the area were known in Classical antiquity, around Plato's time, thanks to the pioneering works of the Carthaginian explorer called Hanno, whose route might have taken him as far as modern-day Cameroon.

This therefore leads to a few possibilities concerning people who might have wanted to settle these islands prior to the Portuguese:

• Neolithic Seneglaese peoples, whose artefacts evince a culture of seaborne fishing
• Indigenous Toucouleur/Tarkur and Soninke peoples of Senegal
• Migratory Wolof, Fulani and Serer peoples of Senegal
• Punic populations, be they Hisapnic Ulterior, Berber or Carthaginian
• Greek peoples following Hanno's route
• Roman explorers seeking out the "Fortunate Isles"

...the list goes on.

Which of these are the most plausible? What implications would there be in antiquity, medieval or Age of Sail times for a settled population on these islands?

 

[Alex Richards]

Potentially controversial take here: Any settlement basically makes the Cape Verdes more like the Canaries in that there's an indigenous population who get brutally suppressed and near wiped out, but basically won't change anything long term beyond some historical curiosities.

 

[d32123]

Potentially controversial take here: Any settlement basically makes the Cape Verdes more like the Canaries in that there's an indigenous population who get brutally suppressed and near wiped out, but basically won't change anything long term beyond some historical curiosities.

Big difference might be in the climate. While Cape Verde is more mild than adjacent areas on the African continent, it is quite a bit more tropical than the Canaries and thus more likely to contain tropical diseases/be non-useful for Mediterranean crops. So while the Canaries made for an acceptable settler colony, I think Cape Verde would be less so. The question would be how the natives would handle the diseases brought over from outside, which likely depends on their level of contact with the African continent. A totally isolated people is more likely to die out and be replaced by a mulatto population like OTL Cape Verde, whereas one with continuous contact would probably remain at least a significant population in their homeland.

 

[Tom Colton]

Potentially controversial take here: Any settlement basically makes the Cape Verdes more like the Canaries in that there's an indigenous population who get brutally suppressed and near wiped out, but basically won't change anything long term beyond some historical curiosities.

How about one of the other cases what if they're Greek or Latin-speaking and show obvious Caucasian traits, at the risk of Eurocentrism?

 

[Alex Richards]

How about one of the other cases what if they're Greek or Latin-speaking and show obvious Caucasian traits, at the risk of Eurocentrism?

In that case there might at least be a chance of a local kingdom being formed if they decide to convert to Christianity sharpish.

 

[Burton K Wheeler]

My Original AH.com TL included Carthaginian exiles going beyond the Pillars of Hercules, including settling Cape Verde.