El Tolmo de Minateda (Ilinum/Iyih, Hellín). Eio y la inexistente sede episcopal eiotana. La silla elotana se identifica con Elo (El Monastil, Elda)

Abstract

The archaeological excavations that have been carried out in the Tolmo de Minateda (Hellín), they have revealed a large church floor plan with and attached buildings. Its scientific managers will search for the name and function of the place, to do this they turned to the few Latin and Arabic written sources, looking for place names that have problems associated with the place, the conclusión is that the city was called Ilinum in Roman times and Iyyih/Iyyuh/Iyyah in Islamic times, but wanting the place to be a Visigothic episcopal see, they have distored the interpretation of the mentions of some sign acts of the Councils of Toledo, those signatures have traditionally been read as from the ecclesia Elotana, you mean from Elo, well documented name in the Itineraria of antiquity and high middle ages allow to locate at the El Monastil (Elda) arheological site, being the center that housed the aforementioned Elotana episcopal chair. However, the scientific team of el Tolmo, defend the Eiotana Reading, from a city called Eio, however, it is not cited in any source.