Summary.  This paper explores the formation of urban societies in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. From the Early Iberian Iron Age onwards it is possible to trace the emergence of a hierarchical settlement pattern in which larger settlements carried out the most important functions of control and exploitation of the resources in this territory, extending their authority over several small farming villages. This settlement pattern is associated with the complex socio‐economic structures and political organization of Iberian aristocracies. In this paper we will focus on the development of the Iberians’ active role in exchanging goods with oriental traders; it is this contact which subsequently produces social change in the Iron Age period.

This paper has a twin methodological and interpretative focus. It presents the use of geospatial technologies applied to archaeological surveying. We use the high-resolution spatial and temporal data obtained from the study of the ancient Protohistoric and Roman landscape in the eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Alicante province) to illustrate the methodological proposals. The observed spatial patterns allow us to infer certain aspects relating to the ancient use of the land, transformations in settlement patterns and the intensification of landscape use.

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The investigation of settlement dynamics in the Eastern Iberian Iron Age highlights the formation of coalitions, with inhabitants of several sites coming together under the control of Iberian towns. Ideological strategies and ritual practices served to promote a sense of community and to sustain the new political order. The creation and recreation of a collective identity was largely accomplished through the construction of a sacred landscape with local sanctuaries. In addition, complex pottery iconography, related to ritual practices, contributed to an ongoing process of aggregation of individuals within larger communities.

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