Miróbriga (''Mirobriga Celticorum'') Openstreetmap logo

is an ancient

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

town located near the village and civil parish of

Santiago do Cacém Santiago do Cacém ( or ) is a municipality in Setúbal District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 29,749, in an area of 1059.69 km2. The present mayor is Álvaro Beijinha, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition. The municipal holi ...

, in the municipality of the same name in the south-west of Portugal. Archeology revealed that the town occupied the site of an ancient

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

settlement that existed since the 9th century B.C. With the Roman colonization, a commercial area developed around the Forum. The

Thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout ...

, among the best preserved in Portugal, consist of two adjoining buildings, possibly for male and female use respectively. The residential areas are still little known. Relatively close to the baths, there is a bridge with a single semicircular arch. The

Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used i ...

, the only one whose entire ground plan is completely known in Portugal, is located further from the centre.

History

Excavations and investigations (W. Biers, 1988), suggest that the earliest settlement began to take shape in the 9th century BC. (

), and that the defensive walls began appearing between the 4th–3rd century BC. This settlement occupied an area of 11,800 m², with the population inhabiting the area along the embankment and north-east corner of Castelo Velho, of which only a wall and temple remains (alongside the Roman forum). By about the second half of the 1st century Roman occupation began, expanding the site and occupying an area of 28,000 m². At this time the thermal baths and paved road along the southeast were constructed, reflecting the

Flavian Flavian may refer to: * A member of the Flavian dynasty of Roman emperors, during the late 1st century AD, or their works * Flavian Zeija, a Ugandan lawyer, academic and judge. Principal Judge of Uganda, since December 2019. * A person named Flavian ...

economic prosperity. Around the first half of the 2nd century, the construction of the Oriental baths and hippodrome was begun, followed by the second phase of construction in the second half of the 2nd century and 3rd century. Around the second half of the 2nd century, there were signs of abandon, that may reflect the period of political crisis caused by barbarian invasions during this period. By the end of the 4th century, there is a marked reduction in the population, although a level of continuity persisted on the site: primarily around the small Chapel of São Brás. The ruins were rediscovered and referenced by

André de Resende André de Resende (1498–1573) was a Dominican friar who is considered to be father of archaeology in Portugal. He spent many years traveling in Spain, France and Belgium, where he corresponded with Erasmus and other learned men. He was also in ...

in the 16th century, but they were never fully studied until the 18th century. On 1 June 1992, the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (IPPAR) (forerunner of Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage took over the management of the site, by Decree-Law No.106F/92. This was followed in 1996-1997 by the acquisition of the lands that surrounded the site, as part of the ''ZEP-Zona de Protecção Especial'' (''Special Protection Zone'') designation. On 1 February 1999, a dispatch (No.180/99) from the Ministries of Equipment, Planning and Territory Administration, Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Culture, recognized the importance of safeguarding the Roman ruins, and authorized the construction of an Interpretative Centre. The project began in 2000, in a project designed by architect Paula Santos, that included a 700 m² space.

Architecture

Castelo Velho hill (245 metres) dominates the site that is one kilometre north-west from the urban centre of modern

, which overlooks the northern plain of Chãos Salgados. Miróbriga is situated in a privileged location, on the ancient roadways of the region with access to the coast. Within close proximity is the Windmill of Cumeadas.

Forum

To the east of the baths is a small, single-arch bridge, that provided access along the west–east access that leads to the

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

, an Imperial temple (to worship the Roman Emperors) and a temple dedicated to

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

. Between these two are the remains of an older temple dedicated to the local divinity. North of the forum are the ruins of the market and the visitor's houses, separated by another road.

Baths

The settlement is structured around Roman roads with many paved accesses. Around the west–east axis are the ruins of the residential homes. To the east, are the former baths constructed over a canal and composed of two buildings in a "L" shape ("Western Baths" and "Eastern Baths"). Each building has an entry into the massage hall, a gymnasium, changing room, the bathing space, which included the ''

frigidarium A frigidarium is one of the three main bath chambers of a Roman bath or ''thermae'', namely the cold room. It often contains a swimming pool. The succession of bathing activities in the ''thermae'' is not known with certainty, but it is thought ...

'' (cold baths, ''

tepidarium The tepidarium was the warm (''tepidus'') bathroom of the Roman baths heated by a hypocaust or underfloor heating system. The speciality of a tepidarium is the pleasant feeling of constant radiant heat which directly affects the human body from t ...

'' (warm baths) and ''

caldarium 230px, Caldarium from the Roman Baths at Bath, England. The floor has been removed to reveal the empty space where the hot air flowed through to heat the floor. A caldarium (also called a calidarium, cella caldaria or cella coctilium) was a room ...

'' (hot baths), and a communal

latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground ( pit latrine), or ...

. The halls are warmed by a

hypocaust A hypocaust ( la, hypocaustum) is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm th ...

system that heated the floors of baths, which was located in the south part of the buildings. It was a subterranean system formed by pillars and arches, with tile, that allowed the circulation of warm air to produce heated environments, supported by kilns.

Hippodrome

The Hippodrome was a rectangular space with curved seating on the northern end, while segmented seat on the south, used for chariot or horse races. It was a 370 metre by 75 metre space, bisected by a spine with posts on either end and a triumphal arch on the south entrance.

Interpretative Centre

The Interpretative Centre (the most recent addition) is located on an elevated area at the entrance to the site, with several paths leading away from this site into the ruins.

Gallery

Mirobriga interpretative center.jpg, Mirobriga's interpretative center View over residential area of Mirobriga.jpg, View of Mirobriga's residential area Mirobriga Frescos.jpg, Frescos covering the walls of a Mirobriga house Stone-paved street in Mirobriga.jpg, Stone-paved street leading to the baths Rear view of caldarium in Mirobriga.jpg, Rear view of a caldarium (hot room), East Baths Side view of a caldarium in Mirobriga.jpg, Side view of a caldarium (hot room), West Baths Mirobriga Roman Bridge.jpg, Bridge near the baths Inscription in Mirobriga.jpg, Inscription dedicated to a citizen of

Italica Italica ( es, Itálica) was a Roman town founded by Italic settlers in Hispania; its site is close to the town of Santiponce, part of the province of Seville in modern-day Spain. It was founded in 206 BC by Roman general Scipio as a settleme ...

Imperial cult temple in Mirobriga.jpg,

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" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may ...

temple in the forum Miróbriga by Henrique Matos 02.jpg, Decorative detail (imperial temple) Tabernae Miróbriga.jpg, Shops along the path leading to the forum

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * Barata, Maria Filomena, 1997, Miróbriga - Arquitectura e urbanismo (tese de mestrado apresentada na Faculdade de Letras do Porto)in https://www.academia.edu/807569/Mirobriga_Arquitectura_e_Urbanismo; Barata, Maria Filomena, Roteiro das Ruínas de Miróbriga (IPPAR) * *

External links

*
360° Portugal Miróbriga ruins
*
Miróbriga Blogspot - apontamentos e sentidos com Miróbriga e o Alentejo de fundo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirobriga Roman towns and cities in Portugal Buildings and structures in Setúbal District Tourist attractions in Setúbal District Museums of ancient Rome in Portugal Buildings and structures in Santiago do Cacém