According to the Valencian historian
Escolano, the first settlers of the region of Cheste were members of
Iberian tribes belonging to the old
Edetania. This view is supported by numerous remains, particularly those of
El Castillarejo (Iberian ceramics and spear points from the
Bronze Age). The
Cheste hoard, a cache of gold jewellery and silver coins, was discovered in the locality of La Safa in 1864. The presence of
Carthaginian coinage issued by the
Barcids alongside an early
Roman denarius implies the hoard dates to around the time of the
Second Punic War. == Sport ==