Teba Roman Times

The different archaeological analyses carried out in recentdecades suggests that the emergence of the Roman city had to occur around themid-first century of our era, which coincides with the period of obvious decline of the Los Castillejos archaeological site.

This certainly seems to indicate a typical moment on the old oppida. Iberians once lost their former defensive duties and/or werecontrolled by the Roman power; people tended to lose the benefit of the new settlements erected in the vicinity, in places with better skills for theexploitation of the surrounding territory and the most typical of the Romancivitas.

Although there is abundant evidence that the deposits of the Iberian and Castillejos Cerro del Almendro had an important continuity duringthe first centuries of the Roman presence, the main events of that time we haveare in the city of Cortijo del Tajo, significant examples of which were extracted as important are the parts of the head of Tiberius and the Young Pedestal of eroticism.

Arabic Times

The Islamic world made significant Teba deposits of the Upper Nina and monuments as significant as the Castillo de la Estrella (hisnAtiba), the largest in the province of Malaga, next to Bentomiz, and was considered by popular vote in South Malaganewspaper as the Three Wonders of the province.

The fortress, of which there is no archaeological evidence relevant to the period preceding the Almohad Empire, occupies an areaof 25,000 m2 and has two walled enclosures. On the outside is abarbican facing northeast; it has 18 towers, all except a circular squaresituated to the northeast, and another octagonal facing north

Equally as significant are villae out of the box and the Tesorillo Vallejo (the latter excavated by the University of Malagain the early 80s). These settlements most likely depended on the city of Cortijo del Tajo, and theyshowed significant and intensive farming in the fertile river valley Guadalteba.

The whole castle is very ruined and has beenthoroughly stripped of all its valuable seating and windows. It is nowconsolidated in a state of ruin and can be seen in various works of securingthe main building of the fortress. It has three doors, the main oriented westto Ronda, and the other two, smaller and oriented to the north and northeast.

Its walls are from the Almohad period (seventh through tenthcenturies), the so-called Tower of Homage, and theremains of the primitive church are from Christian times. It would not be untilthe 17th century that the castle lost its military and strategic value; for a few years it went back to being occupied by Napoleonic troops, who settled hereas a means of a strong garrison, which caused severe damage to the paintings onthe walls.