Lusitania (ancient world)
Lusitania was an ancient region located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula, covering modern-day Portugal and parts of western Spain, particularly around the Durius River (Douro) and the area known as Emeritanus (now Estremadura). The region was inhabited by the Lusitani, a warrior tribe believed to have Celtic origins, and had a complex relationship with the Iberians to the south. During the early first millennium BC, the Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians established trading posts along the coast, taking advantage of local resources such as copper mines.
With the expansion of the Roman Empire, Lusitania became a significant province known as Hispania Ulterior. The Romans faced fierce resistance from the Lusitani, notably during the leadership of Viriathus in the late 2nd century BC. Over time, Roman control was solidified, and in 25 BC, Augustus established the province of Lusitania with its capital at Emerita (Merida). The region was agriculturally rich, producing wheat and livestock, and was also notable for its mining activities.
In the centuries that followed, Lusitania experienced various invasions and settlements by groups such as the Alans and Suebi, ultimately falling under the control of the Visigoths in the 5th century AD. The historical significance of Lusitania lies not only in its role within the Roman Empire but also in its cultural and economic contributions to the broader Iberian Peninsula.
Subject Terms
Lusitania (ancient world)
A region in the western part of the Iberian peninsula, comprising Portugal as far north as the river Durius (Douro, Duero) and the district of Emeritanus (now Spanish Estremadura)
The warrior tribe of the Lusitani, between the Tagus and Durius, were probably Celts, whose relationship to the Iberians in the south is obscure. In the early first millennium BC the Phoenicians (and later their Carthaginian descendants) maintained a commercial presence, setting up coastal trading posts which exploited the copper mines in the area (among which Vipasca [Aljustrel] became well-known).
After the Second Punic War the Roman province of Further Spain (Hispania Ulterior) was gradually extended into southern Lusitania, but after hostilities that began in 194 a general rising under Viriathus (c 147–139) was only defeated with difficulty after the Romans had procured his assassination. Decimus Junius Brutus (later Callaicus), setting up his headquarters at Olisipo (Lisbon), marched northward through the central part of the country, crossed the Durius, and triumphed over the Lusitani and Callaeci. About 80, the Roman commander Quintus Sertorius, resisting the government of Sulla, was summoned back to his former Spanish province by the Lusitani, and held out for eight years. Pompey the Great (73–72) and Julius Caesar (60) incorporated the area up to the Tagus into the Roman province of Further Spain, and Augustus created a new province of Lusitania, governed from Emerita (Merida), where he established a Roman colony in 25 BC. The future emperor Otho, sent out as the province's governor after Nero had fallen in love with his wife Poppaea (AD 58), sided with Galba's revolt (68). The region between Pax Julia (Beja) and Ebora (Evora) was rich in wheat, while the valley of the Tagus abounded in horses and farms; and extensive mining continued.
The last century of the empire saw the establishment of three bishoprics, dependent on the see of Emerita. After the Germans had crossed the Rhine and the Pyrenees, one of their peoples, the Alans, temporarily occupied Lusitania (409–29), while Suebi settled between the Minius and the Durius c 411, eventually merging with the urban Hispano-Romans, notably at Portucale (Oporto). Soon after the middle of the fifth century, however, the Suebian monarchy was suppressed by the Arian Visigoths (a process that was repeated, after a Suebic recovery, a century later). See alsoConimbriga, Ebora, Emerita, Tagus.