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The Phoenician and Roman footprint on the Costa del Sol

The Costa del Sol is internationally known for its sun and beach offerings, as well as for the widest range of leisure and cultural possibilities. The coast of Malaga was visited thousands of years ago by other civilizations that left their mark; One of the first cultures that arrived at the province was the one of the Phoenicians, who gave the name to the city of Malaga in century VIII a.C, they called Malaka. This name possibly comes from the Phoenician word MLK (king) or MALAC (reign) among other meanings.
From the mouth of the river Guadalhorce to the historic center of the present city of Malaga can be found deposits that show the activity of a merchant and open town, all this propitiated by the location of its port, thus receiving the influence of the civilizations that sailed By the Mediterranean. An example is found in the basement of the Palacio Buenavista, the current Picasso Museum in Malaga, where it is possible to admire part of the architectural legacy of the Phoenician people.

Far from focusing on a specific area of the province, the Phoenicians extended their settlements along the entire coastal territory of Malaga, leaving a trail of archaeological sites.

(Source laporte.es)

On the other hand, we can find the Carthaginians, of whom we do not have a testimony as wide as that of the Phoenicians. This town established its colonies between 700 and 218 BC; However it was the Romans who fixed their interest in this area because of its strategic value.
It was in AD 74 when Vespasian granted the Lex Flavia Malacitana to the city of Malacca but they had to wait for the mandate of Domitian so that the grant of Roman citizenship will come into force.
From the first centuries of the Christian era until AD 411 The Romans built all the buildings of a Roman city along the Costa del Sol, from theaters to salting factories, the latter of great value because in They made the precious garum, a sauce made from fish that was exported throughout the Roman Empire.
Next we provide a series of enclaves of great cultural and historical interest, through which you can get closer to the Phoenician and Roman history of this city.

The Roman theatre in Málaga

The archaeological site of Acinipo in Ronda (Málaga)

2º Yacimiento de Acinipo – Ronda (Málaga)

Factoria de garum – University of Málaga

3º Factoria de garum – Rectorado de la Universidad de Málaga

Discover and enjoy the traces of these civilizations that gave the current Costa del Sol Mediterranean village character, open, cultural and dynamic that continues to attract with its light and its people to millions of visitors each year.