Marbella
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History
Prehistoric remains have been discovered from both the Palaeolithic
period, at a location known as Coto de Correa in Las Chapas, and
the Neolithic period, in Pecho Redondo cave in the foothills of the
Sierra Blanca.
The town"s origins may have been the 1st-century Roman settlement
of Barbesula. Archaeological remains from this era are to be found
at the mouth of the River Verde.
Near San Pedro de Alcantara, which is also part of the
municipality, there are remains of the Roman colony of Cilniana
-apparently destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century-, one of
the most interesting sites on the Malaga coast, which some
historians equate with the city of Salduba mentioned by Pomponius
Mela. Roman baths known as Las Bovedas can be found close to the
beach.
Another important archaeological site in San Pedro de Alcantara is
the Palaeo-Christian basilica at Vega del Mar, built in the 3rd
century and later used as a necropolis by the Visigoths.
In the Andalusi-Arabic period, the town stood on the site of the
present-day centre of Marbella and played an important role in
local history. During the time of the Taifa kingdoms, the idrisies
(city governors) were constantly in conflict with the Hammudies of
Algeciras, until the arrival of the Benimerines (1274) who, after
taking Marbella and Malaga, unified the AREA.
During Nazari times, Marbella was part of the kingdom of Granada, a
situation which persisted until its conquest by the Catholic
Monarchs in 1485. Relics of this period in the old centre of
Marbella are remains of the castle walls and two defensive towers.
A new stimulus, which was to change forever the whole face of
Marbella, San Pedro de Alcantara and the rest of the municipal
AREA, as well as its inhabitants" economic activities and way of
life, came in the second half of the 20th century, when the
progressive development of tourism, which had begun in 1960s,
transformed the town into one of the world"s leading holiday
resorts.
Eminent citizens
Rafael Romero Calvet, painter.
