There are many remains of prehistoric settlements in the vicinity of the town of Ariza. Ten sites dating from the Late Bronze Age or 1st Iron Age stand out, where pieces of flint and handmade pottery have been found, some with coarse decorations.

In the same place there is a Roman road that linked two of the most important cities in Hispania: Emerita Augusta (today’s Mérida) and Caesaraugusta (today’s Zaragoza), although there is no evidence of Roman residential architecture in Ariza.

But it is undoubtedly the Arab period that marks the course of Ariza. The medina of Hariza or Fariza (according to some Arabists “the Possession”) must have been a major commercial centre.. Nearby nuclei must have been absorbed by it, as it represented a nucleus that was in constant growth, populated by Berber tribes. One of the reasons for this was that Abderramán III established a communication route between Medinaceli, Calatayud and Zaragoza.

The original urban layout of the town, which is based around the castle, dates from this period.