Abstract:

València la Vella, a new and very important fortified settlement of 5 hectares, emerged at the end of the 6th century. The site is 16 km away from Valentia on the Turia river. This new city was made ex novo, so it was necessary a great building effort. In addition to the large walled enclosure, three quarters and several public buildings have been located in the lower part and another in the citadel. This site must have been another center of power in Carthaginensis province. València la Vella was abandoned in the late 7th or early 8th centuries. Contemporarily another important power center was created in Pla de Nadal, about 2 km. from València la Vella. The large palace of central courtyard was its most notorious element, but the various buildings that are appearing around it, indicate that it would be a complex yet to be delimited. Probably the recently disappeared site would be used as a quarry.