''Pax Iulia'' (also known as ''Colonia Civitas Pacensis'') was a city in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

of Lusitania (today situated in the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Beja).

History

The region was inhabited during 400 BC by Celtic tribes, but there are indications that

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

settlers occupied the territory, from the writings of 2nd century scholars Polybius and

Claudius Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importa ...

.. In 48 BC, it was renamed ''Pax Iulia'' (referring to the "peace of the ''gens'' Julia") by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

following the peace between Rome and the

Lusitani The Lusitanians ( la, Lusitani) were an Indo-European speaking people living in the west of the Iberian Peninsula prior to its conquest by the Roman Republic and the subsequent incorporation of the territory into the Roman province of Lusitania. ...

. The settlement became the centre of the ''

conventus iuridicus In Ancient Rome territorial organization, a ''conventus iuridicus'' was the capital city of a subdivision of some provinces (Dalmatia, Hispania, Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either consi ...

'' Pacensis, (in the Roman province of Lusitania), since it was located on a strategic roadway junction with connection Myrtilis Iulia (a harbor city along the

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

river). Sometime between 31 and 27 BC, during the reign of the emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, the city was granted the status of ''

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) 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 priv ...

'' following the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, ...

, and the colonists ascribed to the '' gens Galeria''. It was at this time that a new designation began to appear: ''Pax Augusta'' (referring to the ''peace of Augustus'') as mentioned by Strabo.

20th century

Archaeologic excavations during the 20th century uncovered the remains of a large Roman temple, , dating to the first century AD located within the settlement's forum, with several inscriptions, Roman arches, fortifications and an aqueduct. Possible locations for the

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and amphitheater were deduced from the urban layout. File:Arco Romano.jpg, Roman arch from Beja File:Beja46.jpg, Roman oil lamps; Rainha D. Leonor Museum File:Beja50.jpg,

Terra sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red Ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface slips made in specific areas of ...

(ceramic ware made of porous clay fired at low heat); Rainha D. Leonor Museum File:Barragem romana N S Represa.JPG,

Roman dam This is a list of Roman dams and reservoirs. The study of Roman dam-building has received little scholarly attention in comparison to their other civil engineering activities, even though their contributions in this field have been ranked alon ...

Cuba Municipality Cuba () is a town and municipality in the District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,878, in an area of 172.09 km2. The current mayor (since 2013) is João Português. The municipal holiday is Monday after Easter. History ...

, Beja File:São Cucufate.jpg, Roman Ruins of São Cucufate, municipality of

Vidigueira Vidigueira ( or ) is a town and a List of municipalities of Portugal, municipality in the District of Beja (Portugal), District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,932, in an area of 316.61 km2. The present Mayor is Manuel Rosa ...

References

Notes

Roman sites in Portugal Roman towns and cities in Portugal Beja, Portugal {{AncientRome-stub