The
Lusitanians (or
Lusitani in
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
) were an Indo-European people living in the western
Iberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar and a very small area of France. It is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas—the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas...
long before it became the
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
province of
LusitaniaLusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
(modern
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
south of the Douro River and what now is
ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
in modern
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
). They spoke the
Lusitanian languageLusitanian was a paleohispanic language that clearly belongs to the Indo-European family like the Celtiberian language. It is known by only five inscriptions, dated from the year 1 A.D., and numerous names of places and of gods...
, and were either of Celtic origin or else became Celticized over time. The modern
Portuguese peopleThe Portuguese people are the ethnic group or nation native to the country of Portugal, in the far west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe...
see the Lusitanians living in the western Iberian peninsula as their ancestors. The most notable Lusitanian was
ViriathusViriathus was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of Western Iberia , where the Roman province of Lusitania would be established...
.
Origins
Lusitanians may have come from the
AlpsThe Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
and settled in the region in the 6th century BCE. But
historianAn historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time...
s and archeologists are undecided about their ethnic origins. Some modern authors consider them to be indigenous and initially dominated by the
CeltCelts is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic language...
s, before gaining full independence from them. The archeologist Scarlat Lambrino proposed that they were originally a tribal group of Celtic origin related to the
LusonesThe Lusones were an ancient Celtiberian people of the Iberian peninsula , in the high Tajuña River, northeast of Guadalajara....
that inhabited the east of the Iberian Peninsula. Possibly, both tribes came from the Swiss mountains. Many prefer to see the Lusitanians as native
IberianThe Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
, resulting from intermarriage between tribes, which is disproved since Lusitanians were without a doubt Indo-European and Iberians were not.
Ethnological theories abound on the origin of Lusones and Lusitanians. Also the Lusitanians may have an ethnolinguistic link with the Italic peoples of the Italian peninsula, which is commonly believed given by the history of the Mediterranean region.
The first area settled by the Lusitanians was probably the Douro valley and the region of
Beira AltaBeira Alta was a Portuguese province in the central part of the country.Vast planalts, river valleys, mountains, and castles abound in traditional Beira Alta....
; in Beira they stayed until they defeated the Celts and other tribes, then they expanded up to the Tagus middle valley (current Spanish
ExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz...
), before being conquered by the
RomanThe Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a republican form of government. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, c...
s.
Originally the Roman province of Lusitania included the territories of Asturia and
GallaeciaGallaecia or
Callaecia was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of
Hispania...
, but these were later ceded to the jurisdiction of new
Provincia Tarraconensis and the former remained as
Provincia Lusitania et VettonesThe Vettones were one of the pre-Roman Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula , dwelling in the northwestern part of the meseta—the high central upland plain of the Iberian peninsula—the region where the modern Spanish provinces of Ávila and Salamanca are today, as well as parts of...
. Its northern border was along the Douro, while on its eastern side its border passed through
Salmantica and
Caesarobriga to the
Anas (
GuadianaGuadiana , or Odiana, is one of the major rivers of Spain and Portugal. It forms part of the border between the two countries, separating Extremadura and Andalucia from Alentejo and Algarve ....
) river.
Culture
Lusitanian culture was influenced by Celtic culture.
Lusitanians lived in small quadrangular houses (round in the north) with a single floor, made of stones. Their clothes were made of wool or of goat skin. They wore necklaces, bracelets, and other jewellery made of gold. They made their jewels using a filigree method, or by hammering. Wine was only used in festivities and they usually drank water, goats milk and beer. Lusitanians practiced
monogamyMonogamy is the state of having only one sexual partner at any one time. The word monogamy comes from the Greek word monos "μονός", which means one or alone, and the Greek word gamos "γάμος", which means marriage or union...
. They used boats made of leather, or from harvested lumber.
They used anointing-rooms twice a day and took baths in vapors that rose from heated stones, then bathing in cold water.
They practiced gymnastic exercises such as boxing and racing. They sacrificed goats, horses, and human prisoners to
CariocecusCariocecus was the god of war in Lusitanian mythology, in the cultural area of Lusitania . He was equated with the Roman god Mars and Greek Ares....
, god of war.
In battles with the Romans, Lusitanians gained a reputation as fierce fighters. They used weapons such as the
daggerA dagger is a typically double-edged blade used for stabbing or thrusting. They often fulfill the role of a secondary defense weapon in close combat...
, the iron
javelinThe pilum was a heavy javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two meters long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head. The iron shank may be socketed, but more usually widens to a flat tang; this was...
, and the brass
spearA spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze...
. Roman records attest to their presence among
CarthaginianCarthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian...
mercenaries in battles in the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
.
Religion
The Lusitanians worshipped various gods in a very diverse polytheism, using animal sacrifice. They represented their gods and warriors in rudimentary sculpture.
EndovelicusEndovelicus , was an Iron Age god of public health and safety, worshipped in pre-Roman and Roman Lusitania. He was associated with chthonic oracles and healing, and was probably the recipient of pig sacrifices...
was the most important god: his cult eventually spread across the Iberian peninsula and beyond, to the rest of the Roman Empire and his cult maintained until the 5th century; he was the god of public health and safety. The goddess
AtaeginaAtaegina or Ataecina was a popular goddess worshipped by the ancient Iberians, Lusitanians, and Celtiberians of the Iberian Peninsula.-Name and functions:...
was especially popular in the south; as the goddess of rebirth (Spring), fertility, nature, and cure, she was identified with
ProserpinaProserpina is an ancient Roman goddess whose story is the basis of a myth of Springtime. Her Greek goddess' equivalent is Persephone. The probable origin of her name comes from the Latin, "proserpere" or "to emerge," in respect to the growing of grain...
during the Roman era. Lusitanian mythology was related to Celtic mythology, and during later Roman rule it also became heavily influenced by Roman mythology, as Romans also started venerating Lusitanian gods.
RunesocesiusRunesocesius was a deity whose name appears on an inscription from the region of Evora, the Roman Ebora in modern Portugal in the area inhabited by the Celtici in Lusitania. He has generally been thought of as a Lusitanian god.-Discovery & interpretation:...
, the javelin god, was also an important god, and often formed the supreme trinity in the Lusitanian pagan religion with Endovelicus and Ataegina.
The Lusitanians practiced the cult of the dead, and used cremation.
Language
The Lusitanian language was a
paleohispanic languageThe Paleohispanic languages were the languages of the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, excluding languages of foreign colonies, such as Greek in Emporion and Phoenician in Qart Hadast...
that clearly belongs to the
Indo-EuropeanThe Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, Iran, and northern India, and historically also predominant in Anatolia and Central Asia...
family like the
Celtiberian languageCeltiberian is an extinct Indo-European language of the Celtic branch spoken by the Celtiberians in an area of the Iberian Peninsula lying...
.
The precise filiation of the Lusitanian language inside
Indo-EuropeanThe Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, Iran, and northern India, and historically also predominant in Anatolia and Central Asia...
family is still in debate: there are those who endorse that it is a
CelticThe Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic", a branch of the greater Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, having much earlier been used by Greek and Roman writers to describe tribes in...
language with an obvious "celticity" to most of the lexicon, over many anthroponyms and toponyms. A second theory relates Lusitanian with the
Italic languagesThe Italic subfamily is a member of the Indo-European language family. It includes the Romance languages derived from Latin , and a number of extinct languages of the Italian Peninsula, including Umbrian, Oscan, Faliscan, and Latin itself.In the past various definitions of "Italic" have prevailed...
; based on a relation of the name of Lusitanian deities with other grammatical elements of the area. Finally, Ulrich Schmoll proposed a new branch to which he named "Galician-Lusitanian".
Tribes
The Lusitanians were primarily a single
tribeA tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists hold that...
that lived between the rivers Douro and
TagusFor the ancient Thessalian title, see TagusThe Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Later, the name Lusitania was adopted by ancient
Calaicians or GallaeciGallaecia or
Callaecia was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of
Hispania...
(tribes living in the north of Douro River) and other closely surrounding tribes, eventually spreading as a label to all the local people fighting the Roman rule - but also because they were all culturally and ethnically very similar. Most of these tribes were from the north of the Douro river.
Tribes, often known by their Latin names, living in the area of Portugal prior to the Roman rule:
- Bracari
The Bracari were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, akin to the Calaicians or Gallaeci, living in the northwest of modern Portugal, in the province of Minho, between the rivers Tâmega and Cávado, around the area of the modern city of Braga .Appian wrote they were a very warlike people...
- living between the rivers Tâmega and CávadoThe Cávado River is a river located in north PortugalIt has its source in Serra do Larouco at 1520 meters. It runs 135 km from the Gouveia, to its mouth into the Atlantic Ocean next to the city of Esposende...
, in the area of the modern city of BragaBraga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and one of the major cities of the country...
;
- Callaici
The Gallaeci, Callaeci, or Callaici were a Pre- Roman Celtic single or various tribes living in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula , North of the River Douro in Northern Portugal and Galicia...
-living north of the River Douro;
- Celtici
]The Celtici were a Celtic tribe of the Iberian peninsula, akin either to the Lusitanians and Gallaecians or the Celtiberians, living in what today are the provinces of Alentejo and the Algarve in Portugal, though some migrated north alongside the Turduli...
- Celts living in AlentejoAlentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve...
;
- Coelerni
The Coelerni were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia in Hispania , part of Calaician or Gallaeci people , living in what was to become the Roman Province of Hispania Citerior, convent of Bracara Augusta , in what is now the southern part of the province of Ourense .Some sources, like Alarcão,...
- living in the mountains between the rivers Tua and Sabor;
- Cynetes or Conii
]The Cynetes or Conii were a one of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, living in today's Algarve and Low Alentejo regions of southern Portugal before the 6th century BCE .-Origin:Whether they were Celts or pre-Celtic Iberians has not been established...
- living in the AlgarveThe Algarve from the Arabic word meaning "the west" is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. It has an area of 5,412 square kilometres with approximately 410,000 permanent inhabitants, and incorporates 16 municipalities...
and the south of AlentejoAlentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve...
;
- Equaesi
The Equaesi were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, between the provinces of Minho and Trás-os-Montes, near the border of modern Galicia .-External links:*...
- living in the most mountainous region of modern PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
;
- Grovii
The Grovii were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Minho, around the Minho river, and spreading into modern day Galicia . One of their main gods was Turiacus.-External links:*...
- a mysterious tribe living in the Minho valley;
- Interamici
The Interamici were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Trás-os-Montes, near the border with Galicia .-External links:*...
- living in Trás-os-Montes and in the border areas with Galicia (in modern SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
);
- Leuni
The Leuni were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Minho, between the rivers Lima and Minho.-External links:*...
- living between the rivers Lima and Minho;
- Luanqui
The Luanqvi were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Trás-os-Montes, between the rivers Tâmega and Tua.-External links:*...
- living between the rivers Tâmega and Tua;
- Lusitani - being the most numerous and dominant of the region;
- Limici
The Limici were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the swamps of the river Lima, in the border region between Minho and Galicia .-External links:*...
- living in the swamps of the river Lima, on the border between Portugal and Galicia);
- Narbasi
The Narbasi were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the province of Minho and nearby areas of modern Galicia .-External links:*...
- living in the north of modern Portugal (interior) and nearby area of southern Galicia;
- Nemetati
The Nemetati were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal between the Cávado and Ave Rivers, in the province of Minho, north of the Douro.They lived near the valley of the Ave River and may have some link with inscriptions to the war god Cosus Nemedecus. The...
- living north of the Douro Valley in the area of Mondim;
- Paesuri
The Paesuri were an ancient Celtiberian tribe of Lusitania, akin to the Lusitanians, to whom they were a dependent tribe. Located between the rivers Douro and Vouga, in the modern northern central Portugal, the Paesures comprised four tribes - Ireucoutiori, Aravoni, Seareas and Paisicaicoi, which...
- a dependent tribe of the Lusitanians, living between the rivers Douro and Vouga;
- Quaquerni
The Quaquerni were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, province of Minho, in the mountains at the mouths of the rivers Tâmega and Cávado.-External links:*...
- living in the mountains at the mouths of rivers Cavado and Tâmega;
- Seurbi
The Seurbi were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Minho, between the rivers Cávado and Lima .-External links:*...
- living between the rivers CávadoThe Cávado River is a river located in north PortugalIt has its source in Serra do Larouco at 1520 meters. It runs 135 km from the Gouveia, to its mouth into the Atlantic Ocean next to the city of Esposende...
and Lima (or even reaching the river Minho);
- Tamagani
The Tamagani were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Trás-os-Montes, from the area of Chaves, near the river Tâmega.-External links:*...
- from the area of ChavesChaves is a modern Portuguese and old Spanish word meaning "keys", and may refer to:*Chaves, Portugal, a city*Chaves Municipality, Portugal*Chaves, Brazil, a city and municipality.*Chaves County, in New Mexico, United Sates....
, near the river Tâmega;
- Tapoli
The Tapoli were an ancient Celtiberian tribe of Lusitania, akin to the Lusitanians, to whom they were a dependent tribe, living just north of the river Tagus, around the border area of modern day Portugal and Spain.-External links:*...
- another dependent tribe of the Lusitanians, living north of the river Tagus, on the border between modern Portugal and Spain;
- Turduli
The Turduli were an ancient Celtiberian tribe of Lusitania, akin to the Lusitanians. They lived in the south of modern Portugal, in the east of the province of Alentejo, along the Guadiana valley, and Extremadura .-External links:*...
- in the east of AlentejoAlentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve...
(Guadiana Valley);
- Turduli Veteres
The Turduli Veteres, also known as "Ancient Turduli" or "Old Turduli" were an ancient Celtiberian tribe of Lusitania, akin to the Lusitanians and Calaicians or Gallaeci, living south of the estuary of the river Douro, in the north of modern Portugal...
- the "ancient Turduli" living south of the estuary of the river Douro;
- Turdulorum Oppida
The Turdulorum Oppida , or Turduli, living in the Portuguese region of Estremadura , were an ancient Celtiberian tribe of Lusitania, akin to the Lusitanians.-External links:*...
- Turduli living in the Portuguese region of EstremaduraEstremadura is a historical province of Portugal. It is located along the Atlantic Ocean coast in the center of the country and includes Lisbon, the capital.Estremadura is different to Extremadura, an autonomous community of Spain....
;
- Turodi
The Turodi were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Trás-os-Montes and border areas in Galicia .-External links:*...
- living in Trás-os-Montes and bordering areas of Galicia;
- Vettones
The Vettones were one of the pre-Roman Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula , dwelling in the northwestern part of the meseta—the high central upland plain of the Iberian peninsula—the region where the modern Spanish provinces of Ávila and Salamanca are today, as well as parts of...
- living in the Spanish provinces of ÁvilaÁvila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid. Ávila has a population...
and SalamancaSalamanca is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Ávila, and Cáceres, and by Portugal....
, as well as parts of ZamoraZamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.Actual Zamora province was born in 1833 when the country was organised into 49 provinces ....
, ToledoToledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila....
and CáceresCáceres is a province of western Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is bordered by the provinces of Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, and Badajoz, and by Portugal....
;
- Zoelae
The Zoelae were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal, in the province of Trás-os-Montes, between the mountains of Serra da Nogueira and the mountains of Mogadouro.-External links:*...
- living in the mountains of Serra da Nogueira, Sanabria and Culebra, up to the mountains of MogadouroMogadouro is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 760.4 km² and a total population of 10,792 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 28 parishes and is located in the district of Bragança....
in northern Portugal and adjacent areas of Galicia.
War with the Romans and eventual Romanisation
Since 193 BCE, the Lusitanians had been fighting the Romans. In 150 BCE, they were defeated by Praetor Servius Galba: springing a clever trap, he killed 9,000 Lusitanians and later sold 20,000 more as slaves in
GaulGaul is a historical name used in the context of the Roman Empire in references to the region of Western Europe approximating present day France and Belgium, but also sometimes including the Po Valley, western Switzerland, and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River...
(modern
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
). Three years later (147 BCE),
ViriathusViriathus was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of Western Iberia , where the Roman province of Lusitania would be established...
became the leader of the Lusitanians and severely damaged the Roman rule in Lusitania and beyond. In 139 BCE Viriathus was betrayed and killed in his sleep by his companions (that had been sent as emissaries to the Romans),
Audax, Ditalcus and MinurusAudax, Ditalcus and Minurus were the supposed assassins of the Lusitanian leader Viriathus.In 139 BC, after a long war against the Romans, Viriathus was finally killed in his sleep by Audax , Ditalcus and Minurus , who had been sent as emissaries to the Romans and had been bribed by Marcus...
, bribed by Marcus Pompilius Lenas. However, when Audax, Ditalcus and Minurus return to receive their reward by the Romans, the Consul Servilius Cipianus ordered their execution, declaring, "Rome does not pay traitors".
After Viriathus' rule, the Lusitanians became largely romanised and more interbred with them, acquiring Roman culture and language; the Lusitanian cities, in a manner similar to those of the rest of the romanised Iberian peninsula, eventually gained the status of "Citizens of Rome". The
Portuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
itself is a local evolution of the Roman language,
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
.
Contemporary meaning
Lusitanians are often used by Portuguese writers as a
metaphorA metaphor is a figure of speech concisely comparing two things, saying that one is the other. The English metaphor derives from the 16th c...
for the
Portuguese peopleThe Portuguese people are the ethnic group or nation native to the country of Portugal, in the far west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe...
, and similarly,
Lusophone is used to refer to a
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
speaker.
Lusitanic is at present a term used to categorize persons who share the linguistic and cultural traditions of the
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
-speaking nations of
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
,
MacauThe Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...
,
East TimorEast Timor, also known as Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
,
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
,
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
,
Cape VerdeThe Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago located in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa, opposite Mauritania and Senegal....
,
São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off the...
, Guinea Bissau and others.
See also
- History of Portugal
The history of Portugal, a European and an Atlantic nation, dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, Asia and...
- History of Galicia
The Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited for at least 500,000 years, first by Neanderthals and then by modern humans.-Megalithic culture:Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias, western León, and Zamora formed a single megalithic area since the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Ages, around 4500 - 1500...
- Timeline of Galician History
-Paleolithic:*200th millennium BC – In the Paleolithic period the Neanderthal Man enters the Iberian peninsula.*70th millennium BC**Neanderthal Mousterian culture.**Beginning of the Last Ice Age.*40th millennium BC**Beginning of the Upper Paleolithic....
- Hispania
Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula . When Rome was a republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior...
- Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
- Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
This is a list of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian peninsula .-Non-Indo-European:*Aquitanians**Aquitani**Autrigones - some consider them Celtic .**Caristii - some consider them Celtic ....
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