Conímbriga
Encyclopedia
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settlements in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and is classified as a National Monument
Monuments of Portugal
The Monuments of Portugal were constructed throughout the Portuguese territory, and date back to the period of pre-historic settlement of occupation. Subsequently, the region that is today Portugal has been colonized by many civilizations, which have left marks in the territory, constructing...
. Conímbriga lies 16 km from Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
(the roman Aeminium
Aeminium
Aeminium was the ancient name of the city of Coimbra, in Portugal.The Romans founded the civitas of Aeminium in this place at the time of Augustus, which came under the protection of nearby Conimbriga situated some 15 km away to the south....
) and less than 2 km from Condeixa-a-Nova
Condeixa-a-Nova
Condeixa-a-Nova , also known as Condeixa, is a town and a municipality in the district of Coimbra, Portugal. It is located 15 km south of Coimbra, and in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Coimbra...
. The site also has a museum that displays objects found by archaeologists during their excavations, including coins and surgical tools. A restaurant/café is in the museum, which also has a gift shop.
Roman Conimbriga
The name Conimbriga derives from an early, possibly pre-Indo-EuropeanIndo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
element meaning "rocky height or outcrop" and the Celtic briga, signifying a defended place.. Others think that the element coni may be related to the conii people.
Although Conimbriga was not the largest Roman city in Portugal
Roman cities in Portugal
List of Roman cities and towns in Portugal.-External references:...
, it is the best preserved. Archaeologists estimate that only 10 percent of the city has been excavated until the early 2000s. From this reseach, the following urban structure was discovered:
Baths
In the baths, you can view the network of stone heating ducts beneath the now-missing floors.Three distinct structures were identified:
- Great Southern Baths
- Baths of the Wall
- Baths of the Aqueduct
Houses, InsulaInsulaInsula is the Latin word for "island" and may refer to:*Insular cortex, a human brain structure*Insula , an apartment building in ancient Rome that provided housing for all but the elite...
and other identified buildings
- House of Andercus
- House of Cantaber
- House of the SwastikaSwastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
- House of Tancinus
- House of Valerius Daphinus
- House of the Apsidal Medianum
- House of the TridentTridentA trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...
and of the Sword - House of the Skeletons
- House of the Fountains
- House of Solidi
- Buildings to North of the Forum
- Building to West of the House of Cantaber
- Buildings to West of the Baths
- Building of the pateraPateraA patera was a broad, shallow dish used for drinking, primarily in a ritual context such as a libation. These paterae were often used in Rome....
Emanuel - Building of the stone-quarry
- Building of the street of the patera Emanuel
- Building of the latrines of the Forum
- Building near the "Portas do Sol"
- Building of Condeixa-a-Velha
- Building of the sector JX
- Porticoed Building to East of the Forum
- Insula to North of Baths
- Insula to West of the Forum
- Insula of the PhallusPhallusA phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
vase - Insula of the Aqueduct
- Insula of the Viaduct
- Stores South of the Road
City walls
The city walls are largely intact, and the mosaic floors and foundations of many houses and public buildings remain.Amphitheater
Dating from the end of the julio-claudian period, taking advantage of a natural canyon that surrounded the city by the North .The amphitheater area is scheduled to be excavated in 2012/2013 . This monument measured originally 90x60x20 meters and is currently about 4 meters underground, with some rural houses built using part of the structure. It had an estimated capacity of 5000 spectators.
Forum
Structures of a great monument of the flavian era and, under these, the remains of constructions belonging to a previous phase that although, coinciding in the location of some elements ( the central square, for example), composed a completely different architectonic program.History
Like many archaeological sites, Conímbriga was built in layers.The archaeological evidence tells us that Conímbriga was inhabited, at least, between the 9th century BC and 7th / 8th century AD.
When the Romans arrived, in the first half of the 2nd century BC, Conímbriga was a flourishing village. Thanks to the peace established in Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
a quick Romanisation
Romanization (cultural)
Romanization or latinization indicate different historical processes, such as acculturation, integration and assimilation of newly incorporated and peripheral populations by the Roman Republic and the later Roman Empire...
of the indigenous population took place and Conímbriga became a prosperous town. Judging by the capacity of the amphitheater, the city had an estimated population of 10600.
Colonists from the Italic peninsula like the Lucanus
Lucanus
Lucanus may refer to:*Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, Roman poet*Lucanus , genus of beetles...
, Murrius, Vitellius
Vitellius
Vitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
and Aponia
Aponia
Aponia means the absence of pain, and was regarded by the Epicureans to be the height of bodily pleasure.As with the other Hellenistic schools of philosophy, the Epicureans believed that the goal of human life is happiness...
families, mixed with the previous local inhabitants such as the Turrania, Valeria
Valeria
Valeria or Valéria is a female given name dating back to the Latin verb valere. The male version is Valerius, Valerio or Valery. Valeria is also connected to the same root with the name, "Valentine," and "Valerian," or "Valeriana officinalis," the herb...
, Alios and Maelo
Maelo
Maelo was the District Chiefess or Queen Regnant of Kona on Oahu. The Kingdom of Oahu was divided among the descendants of Maweke, a legendary blue blood alii from which the Northern royal bloodlines spouted, during her lifetime. Technically she was a vassal of Lakona, the King of Oahu, but she...
families.
Following the deep political and administrative crisis of the Empire, Conímbriga suffered the consequences of the barbaric invasions. In 465 and 468, Sueves captured and partially plundered the town already abandoned by part of its population, that fled to the nearby town of Aeminium
Aeminium
Aeminium was the ancient name of the city of Coimbra, in Portugal.The Romans founded the civitas of Aeminium in this place at the time of Augustus, which came under the protection of nearby Conimbriga situated some 15 km away to the south....
.