Olisipo

Olisipo

Olisipo was the old name for what we now call Lisbon. It was used when the city was part of the Roman Empire. The Romans called it Municipium Cives Romanorum Felicitas Julia Olisipo. In Latin, it was called Olisippo or Ulyssippo. In Greek, it was known as Ὀλισσιπών (Olissipṓn) or Ὀλισσιπόνα (Olissipóna). Today, Olisipo is best known as the early name of one of Europe’s most famous cities.

Background

During the Punic Wars, the Romans wanted to take a valuable area called Hispania from Carthage. A Roman leader named Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus helped bring the city of Olisipo into the Roman Republic in 138 BC. He built walls around the city to keep it safe.

Later, between 31 BC and 27 BC, Olisipo became a special kind of town called a municipium. Its people could govern themselves and had many of the same rights as Roman citizens. The city was part of the Roman province of Lusitania, with Emerita Augusta as its capital.

At that time, most people spoke Latin, but there were also many Greek traders and slaves living there. The city was known as Ulyssippo by the geographer Pomponius Mela.

There were several earthquakes, including ones in 60 BC, between 47 and 44 BC, in 33 AD, and a big one in 382 AD. We do not know how much damage they caused.

The city

During the time of Augustus, the Romans built many important buildings in Olisipo, the old name for today's Lisbon. They made a large theatre, which was fixed up later. Underground paths under Rua da Prata come from this time and were rebuilt even later. These paths probably helped support and level the ground for big buildings.

Olisipo was famous for its fish sauce, called garum, which was popular and traded all over the Roman Empire. The city also sold wine, salt, and fast horses. Olisipo became rich by trading with places like Britannia and along the Rhine river.

The city had a group of leaders from powerful families and was run by officials named duumviri and aediles. People in Olisipo worshiped many gods and later, Christianity spread there. The city became an important Christian place, with its first bishop in the middle of the 4th century.

Roman architectural remains in the region

The city of Olisipo was an important place with many old Roman buildings. It was a main stop on Roman roads going to places like Bracara Augusta and Emerita Augusta. Olisipo had control over a large area between the Alcabrichel and Ota rivers.

Many Roman buildings and sites have been found around modern-day Lisbon. These include roads, dams, bridges, villas, and more. Some important places are near Sintra, Cascais, Amadora, Torres Vedras, and Loures. These old structures show how people lived when Olisipo was part of the Roman Empire.

Fall of the Roman Empire

Lisbon had hard times when new groups tried to control it. From 409 to 429, the Alans and the Vandals, who came from Germany, ruled the area. In 419, the Visigoths, led by Wallia, took the city.

The Suebi also came from Germany and made a kingdom in a place called Galicia, which is now part of Portugal. They controlled Lisbon for many years. In 457, a leader named Maldras tricked the people and took the city. Later, in 468, another Suebi leader named Remismund took Lisbon with help from a local Roman leader. After that, Roman control of the city ended.