Patterns of Andalusi rural settlements in the Cocentaina region (Alicante)
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Santiago Quesada-García [1] ; María Lozano-Gómez [1]
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[1] Universidad de Sevilla
Universidad de Sevilla
Sevilla, España
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- Localización: FORTMED 2026. Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean Vol XXIV / Michele Russo (ed. lit.), Marta Acierno (ed. lit.), 2026, ISBN 978-84-1396-413-3, págs. 227-234
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
The district or amelía of Cocentaina was an Andalusi territory located around the Serpis River, which flows at the foothills of the Benicadell and Mariola mountain ranges in Alicante, Spain. This river valley still preserves a wealth of medieval remains, including rural castles, towers, fortified settlements, and farmsteads. The aim of this study is to conduct a macro-spatial analysis of the area in order to quantitatively assess its main physical and geomorphological features, such as orography, slope, water resources, and proximity to roads. The goal is to identify some of the key variables that influenced settlement patterns, using a methodology that combines landscape archaeology techniques with geographic information system (GIS) tools. This approach enables the creation of interpretative models that are useful for identifying distribution patterns across different locations. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the factors that guided the establishment of rural Andalusi settlements between the 11th and 13th centuries.
