Lusitania (ancient region)

Lusitania (ancient region), province of the Roman Empire, on the Iberian peninsula. It formed part of the territory known to the Romans as Hispania, and included most of the central part of modern Portugal, bounded on the north by the River Douro and on the south by the Guadiana. The ancient boundaries of Lusitania do not, however, correspond exactly with the modern borders between Spain and Portugal, and the ancient capital of Lusitania, Emerita Augusta (now Mérida), is today in Spain. The prosperity of Lusitania was concentrated in the coastal area, with a large eastern hinterland in the upland serras. Before Roman occupation, the province was inhabited by the Lusitanians, a barbarian people of whom not much is known, though they were probably related to the Celtic groups of central and western Europe: this warlike race had established a flourishing local culture, dominated by fortified settlements which had many of the attributes of the Classical town.

The first clash between the Lusitanians and the steadily growing power of Rome came when they joined with their Celtiberian neighbours in a war, which lasted from 196 to 179 bc, against growing Roman domination of the region. In the mid-2nd century bc, under the leadership of Viriathus, the Lusitanians inflicted many defeats on the Romans, but were eventually subdued as a result of the assassination of Viriathus.

During the civil wars that racked Rome during the later 1st century bc, the Lusitanians were recruited to factions ranged against the forces of Julius Caesar. This involvement in Roman politics increased Roman influence over the Lusitanians, some of whom may even have been granted citizenship by virtue of their service in factional Roman armies. After the triumph of the Caesarean faction, the conquest of the region was finally accomplished by Augustus, and the province of Lusitania was established under his authority in 27 bc.

Because of a dearth of literary or historical sources, the subsequent history of the province is cloudy, and historians must rely upon the testimony of archaeology to understand the later development of Lusitania. Certainly, it rapidly developed into a flourishing Romanized province, with fine cities, as well as lesser rural settlements, built in the best Italian style. At the beginning of the 1st century ad, the Emperor Claudius appears to have taken a special interest in Lusitania, granting municipal status to towns (such as Ammaia) and citizenship to many local people, large numbers of whom were probably veterans of the Roman army. There followed a programme of urbanization under the Flavian and Trajanic emperors, during which Lusitanian towns grew in size and in the grandeur of their civic amenities. Also at this time was established a system of Roman roads, with some fine bridges, which allowed the efficient economic exploitation of the province. There ensued a period of considerable peace, progress, and prosperity. The economic basis of the province lay in agriculture, which was largely reorganized to revolve around a network of well-equipped and carefully planned villas built and managed in Roman style, although small-scale native farms continued to flourish. A wide variety of craft industries, including pottery and metalworking, probably supplied mostly local needs. Like the rest of Iberia, however, Lusitania was particularly well known for the mining of metals, including iron, lead, and silver.

The security of the province was disturbed as early as the mid-2nd century ad, when attempts by the Moors of North Africa to establish themselves in Iberia made themselves felt in Portugal: civil unrest in Lusitania, attested at this time, may have been a consequence of the pressures introduced by these raids. Insecurity grew during the late 3rd and 4th centuries, as Iberia was increasingly attacked by Germanic peoples, principally Franks and Vandals. Many of the towns and cities of Lusitania appear to have been provided with defensive walls at this time. During the civil wars which resulted from the contest between Constans and Honorius for control of the empire, the Alani finally took advantage of the confusion to overrun Lusitania in ad 411, after which the province effectively fell out of Roman control.

Lusitania still exhibits many impressive remains from its years as a Roman province. Emerita Augusta, the capital, was almost matched in importance by the coastal city of Scallabis. Particularly well preserved is the ancient town of Conimbriga, founded on the site of a pre-Roman settlement but rebuilt on a lavish scale, with a highly Romanized forum, baths, and aqueducts as well as many fine Roman houses (with many mosaic pavements), the whole enclosed by defensive walls of late Roman date.