There is an archaeological site at Tolmo de Minateda hill near Hellín, with phases of Iberian, Roman and Visigoth occupation.[3] There are archaeological evidences suggesting that the Minateda site may have stood at some point at the Byzantine side of the limes.[4] A tentative identification with the Iyih mentioned in the Pact of Theodemir has been also proposed.[5] Minateda was thus probably known as Madinat Iyyuh during the Islamic period.[6] The Arabic name of Hellín was however Falyān, which eventually evolved into 'Felín', and then 'Hellín'.[6]
The importance of the Sulfur-rich mining district in the south of the municipality led to the creation of a mining community in the area (Las Minas), that became a leading producer of sulfur in southwestern Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.[7]
Railway arrived to the town in 1864, with the opening of the Chinchilla–Hellín stretch on 18 January and the Hellín–Agramón [es] stretch on 8 October.[8]
Hellín was granted the title of city (ciudad) in 1898.[9]Esparto cultivation increased in the first decades of the 20th century, peaking in importance during the Autarky period of the Francoist dictatorship, with the expansion of irrigated crops.[10]
Culture
Main celebrations, such as the processions and the traditional tamborada (drumming), declared of international tourist interest, occur during the Holy Week (in Spanish, Semana Santa).