Description of the attraction
Conimbriga is located 16 km from Coimbra and is considered one of the largest Roman settlements in Portugal. This city has a museum where you can see items found by archaeologists during excavations. An interesting fact is that among the finds of that time were coins and surgical instruments. The museum has a restaurant and cafe, as well as a shop where you can buy souvenirs.
It is believed that Conimbriga was founded in the 1st century and was located along both sides of the road that connected the cities of Lisbon and Braga. There is speculation that the name of this ancient city of the Roman period comes from a combination of the words "horses" of the pre-Indo-European element, which means "rocky, rocky hill", and the Celtic "brig", which means "protected place".
In the first half of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered this city, Conimbriga was a small village. Konimbriga soon expanded and became a thriving city. The development of the city was facilitated by the fact that peace was established in Lusitania, as well as the fact that Roman culture and the Latin language successfully spread among the indigenous population of Conimbrigi. Based on the size of the amphitheater, historians have calculated that the population of the city was then more than 10 thousand people. Several times Konimbriga was subjected to barbaric raids, and in 465 and 468, the city, which had left more than half of the population, was captured and partially plundered by the Sueb tribe.
The ruins of this ancient Roman city have been very well preserved to our times. During the excavations, baths, houses of patricians, an amphitheater for 5000 spectators were found. Even the mosaic patterns of the floors in the houses have been preserved.
The ruins of the ancient Roman Conimbriga are classified as a National Monument of Portugal.
