Conímbriga

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A street of Conímbriga

Conímbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements in Portugal, and is classified as a National Monument. Conímbriga lies 16 km from Coimbra and less than 2 km from Condeixa-a-Nova. The site also has a museum that displays objects found by archaeologists during their excavations, including coins and cirurgical tools. A restaurant/café is in the museum, which also has a gift shop.

It is believed that the name Conimbriga or Coniumbriga, as in the Antonine Itinerary, came from the ancient Conii tribe.

Although Conímbriga was not the largest Roman city in Portugal, it is the best preserved. The city walls are largely intact, and the mosaic floors and foundations of many houses and public buildings remain. In the baths, you can view the network of stone heating ducts beneath the now-missing floors. Archaeologists estimate that only 10 percent of the city has been excavated until the early 2000s.

Like many archaeological sites, Conímbriga was built in layers. Some of the earliest layers date back to the first Iron Age in the 9th Century B.C. The Romans arrived in 139 BC, Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus was the general who lead the Roman legions in the conquest of western Iberia after the death of Viriathus, conquering the Celtic inhabitants and establishing a city that grew, flourished, and then fell victim to barbarian invasions until Conimbriga's residents fled to nearby Aeminium (now the city of Coimbra) in 468.

[edit] History

Elaborate mosaic floors survive at Conímbriga.

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 a quick Romanisation of the indigenous population took place and Conímbriga became a prosperous town. 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.