The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire emerged as a consequence of the expansion of Rome around the Mediterranean Sea. Its maximum range took place during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD), when its limits were extended from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to the shores of the Caspian Sea, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, in the east, and from the lands of the Sahara, in the south, to the banks of the rivers Rhine and Danube and the border with Caledonia (South Scotland) in the north.
In the Republican era, he came across a tough competitor in his expansionist zeal, Carthago. The Punic Wars forced Rome to leave the Italian Peninsula, acquiring new lands, which he had to administer, such as Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica or Hispania.
When Julius Caesar (49-44 BC) became emperor, the Roman Republic was abolished. The imperial political system was consolidated with Augustus (27 BC-14 AD), who carried out important reforms and achieved a political and cultural unity in the Mediterranean provinces. These reforms continued until the arrival of Diocletian (284-305 AD).
The Iberian Peninsula was the western end of the Ancient World, Hispania; There was an important assortment of peoples and cultures that were progressively integrated, a process known as Romanisation.
The arrival of Rome made the Middle Valley of the Vinalopó become part of the conventus Carthaginiensis, the largest conventus or administrative district in Hispania Citerior. The Via Augusta ran through the Vinalopó, essential for communications with the coastal towns, Ilici (La Alcudia, Elche) and Lucentum (Tossal de Manises, Alicante), and even with Carthago Nova (Cartagena, Murcia), as well as the interior and south peninsular.
In Monforte del Cid, several villages and a possible mansion are located, settled on the fertile lands of the confluence between the Vinalopó, Tarafa and Rambla de Orito rivers.
