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.
The roman city was encircled by a wall, and followed an orthogonal plan, with the cardo maximus and decumanus maximus crossing at the Forum. An aqueduct existed, the remains of which were incorporated into a latter medieval renovation. Locations for the theater and amphitheater were also proposed, but still unconfirmed by archeology. A triumphal arch is documented, but was destroyed in 1778. Also a necropolis was located to the west of the city.
The Sueves razed the nearby township of Conimbriga in 468. Its inhabitants, who had meanwhile fled to Aeminium, kept the original name of their town.
In modern Coimbra there are few remains from ancient Aeminium. The most important is the cryptoporticus, an underground gallery of arched corridors built to support the Forum of the city, dating from the I to II century AD. Gaius Sevius Lupus was probably the architect.[1] During the Middle Ages, the Bishop's palace in the city was built over the forum, and the cryptoporticus is now located under it, now turned into the Machado de Castro Museum.[2] The cryptoporticus can be visited through the museum.