Ilipa (Alcalá del Río, Seville, Baetica)

The city of Ilipa (Alcalá del Río, Seville) offers a good
example for analysis of the urban history of the southern
regions of the Iberian Peninsula in ancient times. In
addition to its classical association with the end of the
Roman-Carthaginian conflict in the context of the
Second Punic War, archaeological research over the last
fifteen years has made it possible to reconstruct a broad
overview of the little-known historical development of
the settlement and of its most significant traits in
different stages over time. With an origin that dates back
to the Copper Age, it is of particular interest to examine
its consolidation as an important urban center in the
Guadalquivir valley at the end of the Iron Age, in relation
to the mineral deposits in the region. These
resources enabled the town to maintain a strategic role
after the Roman occupation of these territories. With
the evolution of economic structures and territorial
balances, the city would consolidate its position during
the Imperial period as an important river port on the
margins of a fertile agricultural plain. In addition, Ilipa
would become an administrative landmark on the route
taken by oil and other products from the interior on
their way, via Hispalis, to Rome.