The archaeological site of la Illeta dels Banyets

The archaeological site of la Illeta, also known as Illeta dels Banyets and popularly called Banyets de la Reina, is located in the Campello municipality of l'Alacantí in the País Valencià. Until the Middle Ages, the site was a small peninsula, as it is today. It ceased to be an island in 1944 with the construction of a land isthmus following a blast that destroyed part of the site. The site shows signs of occupation from the end of the third millennium BC and was occupied again during the Bronze Age.

In the 5th century BC, the site was inhabited by members of the Iberian culture. They established productive activity with facilities for processing agricultural products and preserving fish. This Iberian settlement was abandoned in the 3rd century BC, and the site remained uninhabited for three hundred years. During the Roman era, a farm village containing small houses was built over the Iberian and prehistoric ruins. Basins at the southern and northern ends of the site, connected to the sea, are interpreted as a fish farm where fish were raised. These structures give the site its popular name, as they were believed to be the baths of a queen.

The site saw further occupation during the Roman Imperial and Arab periods. Archaeological finds include two temples - one of Semitic tradition and another - along with ceramics from the 4th century with graffito in the Greco-Iberian alphabet, luxury items of Punic and Italic origin, and items from the Roses workshop. The last period of occupation is Islamic, from the 11th century, after which the site was probably abandoned.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons