Late antique period and Visigothic age

FROM THE 4TH TO THE 8TH CENTURY CE

From the 4th century on, the Roman world changes in a many ways: society, economy, culture... The Baetica province had no more influence on the Empire's agricultural trade, and the cities' economy declines, in favour of a society progressively ruralised. The number of villae decreases, being replaced with settlements of larger size, more focused to the local production rather than to the commerce of agricultural products. And there are also important changes in cultural aspects- among them the slow introduction of Christianity.

Remains of walls from the Roman period in Santa Lucia site

At Los Alcores zone, Gandul remains as a town enclave, with a constant settlement at least until the 6th century CE. However, we have neither proofs nor records on the population being kept at the Castle Hill, and also rural sites from this period decrease.

Again, settlement seems to be related to river courses. An example of this is at the Santa Lucia site, next to the River Guadaíra. It would be an agricultural settlement from 4th-6th centuries CE, where there is an outstanding large funerary zone with tomb of Roman style and also some example of Christian cult. This area would have been inhabited since the Early Roman Empire period and would have been kept on until at least the Al-Andalus period. We highlight as a singular finding a record carved on stone dedicated to Visigothic king Hermenegildo (564 - 585 CE), which mentions the civil conflict that made him confront his father Leovigildo.

During the Visigothic period (6th-8th centuries CE) some of the agricultural centres from the Late Empire Period population was kept. Among such period's sites, we highlight Hacienda La Armada or Casilla Guadaíra; places where bricks decorated with geometric imprints have been found, being characteristic of this period.