Rural settlement in the territorium of Ilici: The Roman farm of The Cabezo-Clot of Galvany (Elx, Alicante)

Abstract

We present a Roman farm (1st to 3rd century AD) located in the natural park of The Clot of Galvany (Elx), next to a wetland of poor soils. Its peripheral location with respect to the centuriated area in Ilici, the material remains that have been found (mills, absence of transformation structures, relative isolation) and the remarkable structural and functional simplicity emphasize the self-sufficient character of this settlement. The archaeological area was abandoned after the Roman period and it was occupied again from the 17th century, coinciding with the population growth in Modern age, as evidenced by the building of a chapel. All these lead us to raise questions concerning the demographic pressure in Early Imperial period and the characterization of non-oligarchic peasant settlements of the Roman territories.