Miróbriga, Roman times in the southwest of Portugal

The Miróbriga archaeological site is located near the Portuguese city of Santiago do Cacém.

Miróbriga is one of the most significant traces of Roman times in the southwest of Portugal. It was classified as a cultural heritage building in 1940.

The Roman city extends for over 2 km, with ruins of residential buildings, paved streets, a hippodrome, spa, a bridge and a forum.

Ruínas Romanas de Miróbriga

The Miróbriga Forum is located in an area called the “Old Castle”, the castle of place-name in the south indicates numerous times pre-Roman occupation. This is the case of Mirobriga. It has been occupied since the Bronze Age, and Iron which benefited from the Punic trade in the fourth century BC

The particle “fight” seems to indicate the area of celtização. The Roman occupation itself takes place in the first century AD, and possibly have the Estipendiária status. Its etymology derives from two ancient Celtic words miro / more (sea) and fight (fortress), so the place name means Sea Fortress In pre-Roman times was the main town of mirobricenses, one of the tribes of Celtic, one tribal confederation whose territory was located south of the Lusitanian and the northern territory of cónios (corresponding to current Algarve and southern district of Beja), that is, south of the Tagus river (old Tagus) River Guadiana (old Anas ), corresponding to a large extent, the current Alentejo, Setúbal Peninsula, Ribatejo, south of the Tagus river, and part of Extremadura.

At the time flaviana the city’s development was intense and may well have come to get the municipality status, along with Bracara Augusta and Conímbriga. What would likely quite possibly controlled a territory relatively away from each other, as in the case of Sines.

Depopulation Miróbriga, have occurred, according to archaeological evidence so far established in the fourth century AD, the Roman Empire decay of time often registered in other cities.

We can appreciate a forum, quite possibly built in the first century AD, and the baths that have been built in the following century, a temple, with the cultic purpose. This same temple is highlighted within the metropolis. It occupies a central place in the forum. There is another structure also cultic functions, according to Don Fernando de Almeida – the Venus Temple.

The thermal baths are the best preserved in the country. We have this spa, built in the second century AD, and west spa that saw the dawn around the second half of that century. Both the topographic choice for deployment, as the materials for its construction were carefully checked thought. There is an entrance area with massage rooms, dressing room, and cold water zone (frigidarium) and hot water (caldarium).

The racetrack is the only registered in Portugal. It measures 369 x 75 meters, and would probably have wooden benches.

Were also laid bare several rooms containing murals.

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