The
Iberians are the oldest people known to have lived in what is now Alicante province. Among several Iberian archaeologic sites, La Serreta (near Alcoy) is noteworthy as the location of the longest inscriptions ever found in the (still undeciphered)
Iberian language. During the same period, the
Phoenicians (in Guardamar) and
Greeks (along the coast north of Alicante city) created coastal colonies and interacted with the Iberians. The
Lady of Elche is a famous archeological find from this period. After a brief
Carthaginian period, the Romans took over the area. Several cities thrived along the
Via Augusta, which connected this part of Iberia to the rest of the Roman empire. One of those cities,
Ilici Augusta (now
Elche) even reached the status of
colonia. Following two centuries of rule by the
Visigoths, the area was captured by Islamic armies and became a part of
Al Andalus. Beginning in the 13th century, kings like
Ferdinand III of Castile,
James I of Aragon,
Alfonso X of Castile, and
James II of Aragon slowly
reconquered the cities in the area. What is now Alicante province was initially split between the Crown of
Castile and the Crown of
Aragon by means of the
Treaty of Almizra. Later, the whole territory became under the control of the Kingdom of
Valencia, which was one of the domains of the Crown of Aragon. == Politics ==