''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 ...

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lu ...

(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 ...

of Beja).

History

The region was inhabited during 400 BC by

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

tribes, but there are indications that Carthaginian settlers occupied the territory, from the writings of 2nd century scholars

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

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, an ...

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''

Pacensis ''Pax Iulia'' (also known as ''Colonia Civitas Pacensis'') was a city in the Roman province of Lusitania (today situated in the Portuguese municipality of Beja). History The region was inhabited during 400 BC by Celtic tribes, but there are ind ...

, (in the Roman province of Lusitania), since it was located on a strategic roadway junction with connection

Myrtilis Iulia ''Myrtilis Iulia'' was the Roman name given to present day Mértola, Portugal. During Classical Antiquity, Mértola was inhabited by Phoenicians, Carthaginians and finally the Romans, who called it ''Myrtilis Iulia''. The region was inhabited a ...

(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 e ...

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 In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...

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 Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...

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 perfor ...

and

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

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

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 The Roman ruins of São Cucufate (or alternately, the ''Roman ruins of the Villa of São Cucufate'', ''Ruins of Santiago'', ''Archaeological ruins of São Cucufate'' or ''Roman villa of São Áulica'') is a Romanesque archaeological site, located o ...

, 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