Istiŷŷa, the emirate Ecija (Sevilla, Spain), through the analysis of fals, archaeological contexts and seals of conquest: the historical value of coin concealments

Abstract

This proposal is based on the analysis of feluses and seals or seals as sources for understanding the process of conquest, Arabisation and Islamisation of al-Andalus (8th-9th centuries AD). It is stressed that the model of conquest in al-Andalus resulted in a differentiated settlement of the groups and their relations with the indigenous population. The main objective is to analyse this process through the study of numismatic sources, contextualising them archaeologically as crucial data for the historical understanding of the processes linked to this time.

The value of the pieces found in concealments and their relevance in archaeological contexts gives us the opportunity to analyse the set found in one of the burials in the Plaza de España in Ecija (Seville), one of the most important Islamic necropolises on the peninsula. Thus, it can be seen that after the Battle of Ecija - Istiŷŷa, the territory was assigned as booty to the Berbers. However, a population shift soon took place, and it passed into the hands of the Arab population, a population increase that was reflected in a growing presence of Andalusian currency. Furthermore, the contextualization of these coins, as a concealment, would provide us with the possibility of confirming the first of them made with fals