Citânia de Briteiros

Historic Site in Braga

The Citânia de Briteiros is a remarkable protohistoric settlement located atop the São Romão hill, overlooking the Ave River valley and just a few kilometers from Guimarães. This site offers scenic beauty and is known for the grandeur of its walls, architecture and urbanism. The ancient walls enclose streets and rectangular or circular dwellings, often arranged in blocks. The Citânia de Briteiros is a crucial site in the history of Portuguese and Peninsular Archaeology. The excavation and restoration campaigns, led by several archaeologists, have revealed an extensive area of ruins on the acropolis and eastern slope. However, the site’s subsoil still holds many secrets and valuable scientific information.

The São Romão hill was used during the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic period when rock engravings were carved on the granite cliffs of the eastern slope. The site was inhabited during the 1st millennium BC and is considered a part of the Atlantic Bronze Age period. The golden age of the Citânia dates back to the 2nd century BC, and it was occupied even after the Peninsular Northwest was incorporated into the Roman Empire during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In the 10th century, a small Christian hermitage was built in the acropolis among the ruins of the old settlement.

The Citânia de Briteiros is home to millennia of history and invaluable artifacts that have been collected and preserved. These materials can be viewed at the Museu da Cultura Castreja (Museum of Castro Culture) located in Briteiros’ Solar da Ponte.

The Citânia de Briteiros appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Braga!

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