Roman cities in Portugal
This article will address the topic of Roman cities in Portugal, which has become very relevant in contemporary society. From various areas, Roman cities in Portugal has become a topic of interest and debate, generating conflicting opinions and different perspectives. It is important to thoroughly analyze the aspects related to Roman cities in Portugal, its impact on daily life, its evolution over time and its relevance in the current context. Through this article we will seek to provide a broad and critical vision of Roman cities in Portugal, with the aim of promoting deep reflection on this topic.
The territory of modern-day Portugal was Romanized following the events of the Second Punic War (3rd century BCE), through the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Romans founded cities and Romanized some previously existing settlements. Generally, cities with names ending in -briga are believed to have predated the Romanization of the territory, although there are exceptions. For instance, Augustobriga, near Cáceres, Spain, is named after Augustus, suggesting that some -briga names might have been given to cities during Roman rule.
Out of the 32 mansiones in Lusitania mentioned in ancient Itinerarium sources, only about half have been identified.
Administrative divisions
During the era of Augustus, the Iberian Peninsula was divided into the provinces of Lusitania, Baetica, and Tarraconensis. These provinces were further subdivided into conventūs. The province of Lusitania was divided into the conventūs of Augusta Emerita (modern-day Mérida, in Spain), Pax Julia (Beja, Portugal), and Scalabis (Santarém, Portugal). However, Roman cities held more significance than conventūs in the Peninsula.
The primary types of Roman cities were the coloniae (Roman settlements established by order of the Roman government) and the municipia (settlements that typically existed before Romanization). In the Iberian Peninsula, the terms municipia and civitātes are used interchangeably.
In 73/74 CE, the lex Flavia municipalis enacted by Vespasian granted all urban centres in modern-day Portugal Latin rights, and over time, the distinction between urban centres (including municipia and coloniae) lessened following this law. Everyday administration was carried out by aediles, qaestores and duumviri, who communicated with the imperial government.
Villae were settlements engaged in producing agricultural goods for local markets, encompassing multiple buildings such as residential houses, barns, and gardens. In Lusitania, most villae were situated around a few cities (Olisipo, Ebora Liberalitas Julia, and Augusta Emerita) or dispersed along the southern coast.
Map of Roman cities and towns in Portugal
List of Roman cities and towns in Portugal
References
- ^ ALBERTOS FIRMAT, M. L (1990). "Los topónimos en -briga en Hispania". Los Topónimos en -briga en Hispania. 7: 131–146. ISSN 0213-2095.
- ^ Mantas, Vasco Gil (2018). As cidades romanas de Portugal: problemática histórica e arqueológica. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra. ISBN 978-989-26-1566-0.
- ^ a b c d e f Bowes, Kimberly Diane; Kulikowski, Michael (2005). Hispania in Late Antiquity: Current Perspectives. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-14391-3.
- ^ a b c d Firnigl, Anett (2013-12-01). "The settling factors of Roman villas in southern Lusitania". Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Agriculture and Environment. 5 (1): 40–55. doi:10.2478/ausae-2014-0003.
- ^ Infopédia. "Aveiro | Definição ou significado de Aveiro no Dicionário Infopédia de Toponímia". Infopédia - Dicionários Porto Editora (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-07-20.