Municipium Cives Romanorum Felicitas Julia Olisipo (in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Olisippo'' or ''Ulyssippo'' ; in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: ''Ὀλισσιπών'', ''Olissipṓn'', or ''Ὀλισσιπόνα'', ''Olissipóna'') was the ancient name of modern-day

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

while it was part of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

Background

During the

Punic wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian Empire during the period 264 to 146BC. Three such wars took place, involving a total of forty-three years of warfare on both land and ...

, after the defeat of

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

, the Romans decided to deprive Carthage of its most valuable possession,

Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...

. After the defeat of the Carthaginians by

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–) was a Roman general and statesman who was one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Ancient Carthage, Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the greatest milit ...

in eastern Hispania, the pacification of western Hispania was led by

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus (or Gallaecus or Callaecus; c. 180113 BC) was a consul of the Roman Republic for the year 138 BC together with Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio. He was an optimate politician and a military commander in Hisp ...

. He obtained the alliance of Olisipo (which sent men to fight alongside the Roman legions against the northwestern Celtic tribes) by integrating it into the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

in 138 BC. Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus also fortified the city, building city walls as a defence against Lusitanian raids and rebellions. Between 31 BC and 27 BC the city became a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

. Local authorities were granted self-rule over a territory that extended . Exempt from taxes, its citizens (belonging to the Galeria tribe) were given the privileges of

Roman citizenship Citizenship in ancient Rome () was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, traditions, and cu ...

(''Cives Romani''), and the city was integrated within the Roman province of

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

(whose capital was Emerita Augusta). Among the majority of

speakers lived a large minority of

traders and slaves. Lisbon's name was written ''Ulyssippo'' in Latin by the geographer

Pomponius Mela Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest known Roman geographer. He was born at the end of the 1st century BC in Tingentera (now Algeciras) and died AD 45. His short work (''De situ orbis libri III.'') remained in use nea ...

. The city population is estimated to have been around 30,000 at the time. Earthquakes were documented in 60 BC, several between 47 and 44 BC, several in 33 AD, and a strong quake in 382 AD, but the exact amount of damage to the city is unknown.

The city

Buildings

During the time of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

(63 BC to 14 AD) the Romans built a large

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

(which was restored in 57 AD on the order of Caius Heius Primus). The galleries underneath the current ''Rua da Prata'' date from 20–35 AD; they were rebuilt in 330 AD. Uncovered in 1771 following Lisbon's devastating earthquake, the true purpose of these underground Roman passages has been subject to varying interpretations. Contemporary consensus leans towards them being a cryptoporticus—a structural innovation of the Roman Empire times, used to stabilize and level the ground for significant constructions, particularly in uneven terrains. The '' Thermae Cassiorum'' ( Cassian Baths, named for

Quintus Cassius Longinus Quintus Cassius Longinus, the brother or cousin of Cassius (the assassin of Julius Caesar), was a governor in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) for Caesar. Cassius was one of the '' tresviri monetales'' of the ...

and Lucius Cassius, were built in 44 AD. The building was renovated in 336 AD. Several

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

were built in the city, dedicated to

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

, Concordia, Diana or

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

(on the castle hill),

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya, Kubeleya'' "Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian: ''Kuvava''; ''Kybélē'', ''Kybēbē'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forerunner in the earliest ...

(near current '' Largo da Madalena''), Tethys (current ''São Nicolau'' church) and Phrygiae (an uncommon cult from

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

), to the

Imperial Cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. "Cult (religious practice), Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejor ...

and to Vestal Virgins (in '' Chelas''). A large

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

from the 1st–4th centuries AD existed under '' Praça da Figueira'' and it is known that a large forum (probably in current ''Largo dos Lóis'') and an aqueduct were built. A

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

and hippodrome was built around the 3rd or 4th century AD. Residential buildings (''domus'') within blocks ('' insulae)'' existed in the area between the modern castle hill and downtown. The

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

was strengthened in the 4th to 5th century AD, and around the city there were also

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

(in Sacavém and Alcântara) and '' villae''. File:Lisboa - Ruínas do Teatro Romano.jpg, Lisbon Roman theatre File:PedraRomanaSe.JPG, Roman theatre stone re-used in the Lisbon Cathedral File:Cerca Velha - Portas do Sol.JPG, Part of the old city wall File:Rua dos Correeiros's Archaeological Centre.jpg, Rua dos Correeiros Archaeological Centre

Economy

Economically, Olisipo was known for its ''

garum Garum is a fermentation (food), fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment in the cuisines of Phoenicia, Ancient Greek cuisine, ancient Greece, Ancient Roman cuisine, Rome, Carthage and later Byzantine cuisine, Byzantium. Liquamen is a si ...

'', a sort of fish sauce highly prized by the elites of the Empire and exported in ''

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

e'' to Rome and other cities. Wine,

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

and the city's famously fast horses were also exported. The city came to be very prosperous through suppression of

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

and technological advances, which allowed a boom in the trade with the newly Roman Provinces of

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

(particularly

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

) and the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, and through the introduction of Roman culture to the tribes living by the river

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

in the interior of

. The city was connected by a broad road to Western Hispania's two other large cities, Bracara Augusta in the province of Tarraconensis (today's Portuguese

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

), and Emerita Augusta, the capital of

(now Mérida in Spain).

Government

Around 80 BC, the Roman

Quintus Sertorius Quintus Sertorius ( – 73 or 72 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian Peninsula. Defying the regime of Sulla, Sertorius became the independent ruler of Hispania for m ...

led a rebellion against the

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

. During this period, he organized the tribes of

(and

) and was on the verge of forming an independent province in the

Sertorian War The Sertorian War was a civil war in the Roman Republic fought from 80 to 72 BC between two Roman factions, one led by Quintus Sertorius and another led by the senate as constituted in the aftermath of Sulla's civil war. The war was fough ...

when he died. The city was ruled by an oligarchical council dominated by two families, the Julii and the Cassii. The Caecilii also held some power. Petitions are recorded addressed to the governor of the province in Emerita and to Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

, such as one requesting help dealing with "

sea monster Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and are often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...

s" allegedly responsible for shipwrecks. The city was administered by two '' duumviri'' and two ''

aediles Aedile ( , , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public orde ...

''. * Lucius Iulius Maelo Caudicus was one of the ''duumviri'' in the 1st century AD. * Lucius Iulius Iustus (son of Lucius Iulius Reburrus) was one of the city aedils in the 1st or 2nd century AD. Between 140 and 150 Lucius Statius Quadratus, a governor, was in Olisipo. In 185 Sextus

Tigidius Perennis Sextus Tigidius Perennis (died 185) served as Praetorian Prefect under the Roman emperor Commodus. Perennis exercised an outsized influence over Commodus and was the effective ruler of the Roman Empire. In 185, Perennis was implicated in a plo ...

, governor of Lusitania, visited the region. Between 200 and 209 Junius Celanius, a governor, also came to Olisipo. Lucidius was the native

Roman governor A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many Roman province, provinces constituting the Roman Empire. The generic term in Roman legal language was ''re ...

of the city in 468, having helped the

Suebi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...

under Remismund to take it.

Religion

Olisipo, like most great cities in the Western Empire, was a centre for the dissemination of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Its first attested

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

was St. Potamius (c. 356), and there were several

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

s killed during persecutions, such as the Diocletianic Persecution; Verissimus, Maxima, and Julia are the most significant names. According to legend, the three were sons of a Roman senator, martyred in Lisbon in the 4th century, under the Roman governor Ageian or Tarquinius in the time of Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

. A temple was then built in the Campolide area, whose ruins still existed in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. The

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

of the saints are kept in the Santos-o-Velho Church. In the middle of the 4th century the Olisipo diocesis was formed. There is also the legend of Saint Ginés (''São Gens''), presented as one of the first martyr bishops of Lisbon and remembered in the '' Nossa Senhora do Monte'' chapel. At the end of Roman rule, Olisipo was one of the first Christian cities.

Roman architectural remains in the region

File:Hispania roads.svg, Roman roads in

File:Barragem romana Belas1.JPG, Roman dam of Belas, near Lisbon File:Sítio Arqueológico de Colaride 03.jpg, Archaeological Site of Colaride File:Vila Romana de Frielas1.JPG, Roman villa of Frielas File:Aquae Ductus photographed by P.G. de Mendonça at Gargantada, AMADORA, PORTUGAL (Wikidata Q93896734).jpg, The The city was a '' caput viarium'' of the

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

to Bracara Augusta and the three roads to Emerita Augusta. Olisipo controlled a vast region, bordered by the Alcabrichel and Ota rivers in the north. The territory includes the following Roman archaeological finds, known settlements or place names:

In the current Sintra municipality

* Archaeological Site of Alto da Vigia ( Praia das Maçãs,

Sintra Sintra (, ), officially the Town of Sintra (), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of . Sintra is one of the ...

) * Archaeological Site of Colaride ( Alto de Colaride,

) * Archaeological Museum of São Miguel de Odrinhas ( Odrinhas,

) * Roman dam of Belas ( Belas,

) * Roman bridge at Catribana ( Catribana,

) * Roman bridge at Albarraque ( Rio de Mouro,

) *Roman bridge at Várzea de Baixo ( Colares (Sintra)) *Roman bridge at Cheleiros ( Cheleiros,

) * Roman villa of Santo André de Almoçageme ( Almoçageme,

) * Roman villa of Amoreira ( São João das Lampas,

) * Roman villa of Barros do Casal Silvério ( Montelavar,

) * Roman villa of Granja dos Serrões ( Pêro Pinheiro,

) * Roman villa of Corrais do Chão (

) * Roman villa of São Marcos ( São Marcos, Sintra) *Roman site of Vila Velha (

) *

Vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

of Faião ( Terrugem, possible location for Chretina) * Roman mine of Monte Suimo ( Serra da Carregueira,

) * Fountain of Armés ( Terrugem,

) * Roman villa of Lugar do Mercador ( Mucifal,

) * Promontorium Lunae ( Cabo da Roca,

) *

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

Lunae ( Serra de Sintra)

In the current Cascais municipality

* Roman villa of Alto da Cidreira ( Alto da Cidreira,

Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Port ...

) * Roman villa of Vilares ( Murches,

) * Roman villa of Casais Velhos ( Areia,

) * Roman villa of Outeiro de Polima or Freiria ( São Domingos de Rana,

) * Archaeological Site of Espigão das Ruivas ( Guincho Velho,

) *

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...

of Miroiço ( Manique de Baixo,

)

In the current Amadora municipality

* Roman villa of Quinta da Bolacha (

Amadora Amadora (), officially Amadora City (), is a List of cities in Portugal, city and concelho, municipality in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from central Lisbon. The population in 2011 was 175,136, in an area of 23.78&nb ...

)

In the current Torres Vedras municipality

* Roman baths of Cucos (another possible location for Chretina) ( Cucos,

Torres Vedras Torres Vedras () is a concelho, municipality in the Portugal, Portuguese district of Lisbon (district), Lisbon, approximately north of the capital Lisbon. It is a strong agricultural region thanks to its vineyards, and has an intense commercial ...

) * Roman villa of Freiria (

)

In the current Loures municipality

* Roman villa of Almoinhas (

Loures Loures () is a city and a municipality in Portugal which is part of the Lisbon District, District and Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Metropolitan area of Lisbon. It is the fifth most populous municipality in the country, with a total population of 201, ...

) * Roman villa of Frielas ( Frielas,

) *Roman bridge at Frielas

Fall of the Roman Empire

Alans

Lisbon suffered invasions from the Sarmatian

Alans The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...

and the Germanic

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

, who controlled the region from 409 to 429. The city was taken by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

under Wallia in 419.

Suebi

The Germanic

, who established the Suebic Kingdom of Galicia (modern Galicia and northern Portugal), with capital in Bracara Augusta (today's

) from 409 to 585, also controlled the region of Lisbon for long periods of time. In 457, while Framta was still ruling, Maldras led a large raid on

.Thompson, 167. The raiders sacked

by pretending to come in peace and, once admitted by the citizens, plundering the city.Thompson, 171. In 468 the city of Lisbon was occupied by the Suebi under Remismund with the help of a native Roman governor named Lucidius, but in effect Roman dominion over the city had ended. File:Alan kingdom hispania.png, Kingdom of the Alans in Hispania (409-426 AD) File:Iberia 500.svg, Iberian Peninsula around 500 AD

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Olisipo mapMuseu do Teatro RomanoOs mais recentes achados epigráficos do Castelo de S. Jorge, Lisboa“Marcas de oleiro” em terra sigillata da Praça da Figueira (Lisboa) : contribuição para o conhecimento da economia de Olisipo (séc. I a.C. – séc. II d.C.)
History of Lisbon Roman towns and cities in Portugal