Editing History of Portugal (section)

== Romanization ==
{{Further|Roman conquest of Hispania|Romanization of Hispania}}
[[File:Conquista Hispania.svg|thumb|Map of Spain and Portugal showing the conquest of Hispania from 220 B.C. to 19 B.C. and provincial borders. It is based on other maps; the territorial advances and provincial borders are illustrative.]]
[[File:Portugalliaingallaeciaetlusitania.png|thumb|The Roman Provinces [[Lusitania]] and [[Gallaecia]], after the reorganization of [[Diocletian]] AD 298]]

Romanization began with the arrival of the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] army in the [[Iberian Peninsula]] in 218 BC during the [[Second Punic War]] against [[Carthage]]. The Romans sought to conquer [[Lusitania]], a territory that included all of modern Portugal south of the [[Douro]] river and Spanish [[Extremadura]], with its capital at [[Emerita Augusta]] (now [[Mérida, Spain|Mérida]]).<ref name="infopedia">{{cite web|url=http://www.infopedia.pt/$romanizacao-da-peninsula-iberica|title=Artigo de apoio Infopédia – Romanização da Península Ibérica|last=Infopédia|website=Infopédia – Dicionários Porto Editora|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

Mining was the primary factor that made the Romans interested in conquering the region: one of Rome's strategic objectives was to cut off Carthaginian access to the Iberian copper, tin, gold, and silver mines. The Romans intensely exploited the [[Aljustrel]] (Vipasca) and [[Santo Domingo]] mines in the [[Iberian Pyrite Belt]] which extends to [[Seville]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portugalromano.com/category/tema-exploracao-mineira/|title=Browsing: Tema: Exploração Mineira e Metalurgia|website=www.portugalromano.com|access-date=14 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324224226/http://www.portugalromano.com/category/tema-exploracao-mineira/ |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

While the south of what is now Portugal was relatively easily occupied by the Romans, the conquest of the north was achieved only with difficulty due to resistance from [[Serra da Estrela]] by [[Celts]] and [[Lusitanians]] led by [[Viriatus]], who managed to resist [[Roman expansion]] for years.<ref name="infopedia" /> Viriatus, a shepherd from Serra da Estrela who was expert in [[guerrilla tactics]], waged relentless war against the Romans, defeating several successive Roman generals, until he was assassinated in 140 BC by traitors bought by the Romans. Viriatus has long been hailed as the first truly heroic figure in proto-Portuguese history. Nonetheless, he was responsible for raids into the more settled Romanized parts of Southern Portugal and Lusitania that involved the victimization of the inhabitants.<ref name="infopedia" /><ref name="ReferenceB">{{harvp|Disney|2009}}</ref>

The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula was complete two centuries after the Roman arrival, when they defeated the remaining Cantabri, Astures and Gallaeci in the [[Cantabrian Wars]] in the time of Emperor [[Augustus]] (19 BC). In 74 AD, [[Vespasian]] granted [[Latin Rights]] to most municipalities of Lusitania. In 212 AD, the [[Constitutio Antoniniana]] gave [[Roman citizenship]] to all free subjects of the empire and, at the end of the century, the emperor [[Diocletian]] founded the province of [[Gallaecia]], which included modern-day [[Norte Region, Portugal|northern Portugal]], with its capital at Bracara Augusta (now [[Braga]]).<ref name="infopedia" /> As well as mining, the Romans also developed agriculture, on some of the best agricultural land in the empire. In what is now [[Alentejo]], vines and cereals were cultivated, and fishing was intensively pursued in the coastal belt of the [[Algarve]], [[Póvoa de Varzim]], [[Matosinhos]], Troia and the coast of Lisbon, for the manufacture of [[garum]] that was exported by Roman trade routes to the entire empire. Business transactions were facilitated by coinage and the construction of an extensive road network, bridges and aqueducts, such as Trajan's bridge in [[Aquae Flaviae]] (now [[Chaves Municipality, Portugal|Chaves]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portugalromano.com/|title=PortugalRomano.com|website=www.portugalromano.com|access-date=14 April 2018|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104092717/http://www.portugalromano.com/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Roman rule brought geographical mobility to the inhabitants of Portugal and increased their interaction with the rest of the world as well as internally. Soldiers often served in different regions and eventually settled far from their birthplace, while the development of mining attracted migration into the mining areas.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> The Romans founded numerous cities, such as [[Olisipo]] (Lisbon), [[Bracara Augusta]] (Braga), [[Aeminium]] (Coimbra) and [[Pax Julia]] (Beja),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portugalromano.com/category/cidades-romanas-em-portugal/|title=PortugalRomano.com|website=www.portugalromano.com|access-date=14 April 2018|archive-date=19 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319040741/http://www.portugalromano.com/category/cidades-romanas-em-portugal/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> and left important cultural legacies in what is now Portugal. [[Vulgar Latin]] (the basis of the Portuguese language) became the dominant language of the region, and Christianity spread throughout [[Lusitania]] from the third century.