Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/235

 LUSITANIA. The cottntry, being irrigated by these rivers, and penetrated by their navigablo streams, as well as enriched by the gold and silver found in their beds and in mines, was rich and fertile, Strabo tells us; but its prosperity was greatly checked by the predatory liabits of its people, who neglected the culture of the soil, to give themselves up to war and robbery. Tiiis evil tendency, however, he ascribes chiefly to the Diountaineers, by whose attacks the inhabitants of the lowlands were involved in the same disorder. (Strab. iii. p. 15-4.) 4. Population. — The province, as finally con- stituted, contained the countries of five chief peoples, and of innumerable petty tribes, most of whom, however, may be included among these five. Thus, for example, the 30 (some read 50) tribes (iOvr]), mentioned by Strabo, between the Tagus and the Arfcibri, are doubtless but subdivisions of the Cal- laici and Lusitani. The five chief peoples of Lusi- tania (the Roman province) were: — (1.) The Lusi- tani, on the W. coast between the Durius and the Tagus, and extending also (as explained above) S. of the latter river. (2.) E. of them the Vettonks, between the Durius and the Anas. (3.) S. of these two were the Turduli Veteres, a branch of the ancient population of Baetica, who (according to the common opinion of the ancients) had crossed tlie Anas; but whose presence should perhaps rather be referred to an ancient occupation of the country up to the Tagus. (4.) S. of them again, in the dis- trict between the lower course of the Anas and the S. and W. coasts, were a branch of the Tukdetani, to whom similar remarks apply. (5.) Lastly, in various positions, we find remnants of the old Celtic population, preserving the name of Celtici. The chief traces of them are on the SE. of the lower Tagus, between it and the great bend of the Anas, where they were mingled with the Turduli; and among the Turdetani, in the extreme S., where they seem to have taken up their position in the moun- tainous district between the termination of the W. coast and the Anas (^Algarhe), which the ancients called CuNEUS, and where they bore the distinctive name of Coxir. (Comp. Hispania, p. 1087. § vii.) The particulars respecting these peoples, their chief cities, and so forth, are given under the several articles: in this place we have to deal only with the Lusitanians, properly so calk'd. 5. The Lusitani {v(Tnavoi, Strab. ; AovcriTavol, Died., Ptol.), are designated by Strabo as " the greatest of the nations of Iberia, and the one most frequently and longest engaged in war with the Romans," a distinction which, certainly, not even the Celtiberians could dispute with them. The history of the wars referred to has been given in outline under Hispania, and that of their last great contest may be read in the histories of Rome and under Viriathus {Diet, of Biog.). The incidents of that war seem to prove that though the Lusitani formed a compact state, under one national govern- LUSITANIA. 219 Mela. Tagus. Monda. Strabo. Tagus. iSlundas. Vacua. Durius. "OtiierRi-l vers.'* i or Liniaea, or Belion, s. c. Oblivi- onis. Nocbis, ] or Jlinlus. ) Limia. Plint. Ptolemy. ApriAN. Modern Tagus, Tagus. Tagus, Tajo. Munda. Mondas. Vacca. Vacus. Durius. Durius. Mondcgo, „ Vouga, Durius. Douro. Avo Ce- landus. Ave, Nebis. Naebis. Cavaclo. Limia, orLimias. Limicis, Lima, Limaea-i. orLethes, Minius. Miniue. Miniu-. Minho. ment, its force was impaired by a certain defect of real union among the numerous minor peoples of whom Strabo speiiks. (Niebuhr, Lectures on Anc. Ethiwg. and Geog. vol. ii. p. 297.) The full account of their manners and customs, given by Strabo (iii. pp. 154 — 156), may be more conveniently studied in the original than repeated here in its many details. 6. Lusitania as a Roman Province. — (Lusi- TANi.v Provincia, Inscr. ap. Gruter, p. 31, No. 3S3.) The position of Lusitania, after its conquest by the Romans, first as a part of Hispania Ulterior, and already under .Julius Caesar tending to a sepa- rate constitution ; its formation into a distinct pro- vince, under Augustus ; its civil and military govern- ments; its three conventus of Emerita Augusta, Pax Julia, and Scaeabis, with the number and I'ank of the towns included in them; and its position under the later empire, are all given under Hispania (pp. 1081, 1082). 7. Cities and Towns — (Those of the Vettones are given under the article.) — The city of Lisbon {Port. Lisboa) was, under the same name [Olisipo], the ancient capital of the Lusitanians, and though the Romans degraded it from that rank, in favour of their own military colonies, it remained a place of. great commercial importance. Its political rank was transferred, under the Romans, to Scalabis (Santarem), a colony, and seat of a conventus juri-- dicus, higher up the river, on its right bank. But the true Roman capital was Emerita Ai'gusta {Merida) in the SE. of the province, on the right bank of the Anas, a colony founded by Augustus. The chief roads leading through the province from Emerita, with the places on them, were as follows : 1. From Esiekita, E. and then NE. to Caesak- AuGUSTA " per Lusitaniam," as the Itinerary ex- pressly says, although it lies entirely S. of the Anas {Itin. Ant. pp. 444,445) ; thus suggesting a doubt whether the boundary of Lusitania was not carried as far S. as the M. Marianus {Sierra Moreno) : tho places on the road, which are commonly assigned t(» Baetica, are: Contosolia, 12 M. P. {Alavr/e?) MiROBRiGA, 36 JM. P. {Capilla) ; Sisalone, or SisAFo, 13 M. P. {Almaden) Carcuvium, 20 M. P. {Caracuelf) ; An Turkes, 26 M. P. {Ca- latrava ?), where, if not sooner, the roads enter the Oretani. 2. From Emerita, due N. to Sal- MANTicE {Salamanca) and Asturica, through the territory of the Vettones. {Itin. Ant. p. 433 : for the places see Vettones). 2. From E.^ieeita, NW. to the Tagus, and down the right side of the river to Olisipo {Itin. Ant. pp. 419, 420*) : Pla- GiARiA, 30 M. P. {Raposera, Cortes; El-Com~ mandante, Lapie) ; Ad vii Aras, 20 M. P. {Co- desera, Corte's, Arronches, Mentelle and Lapie) ; Montobriga, 14 M. p. (vulg. Mundobriga, A/ar- vao, Resend. Antiq. Lus. p. 58, Florez, Esp. 51 vol. xiii. p. 66, Corte's, Ukert ; Partalegre, Lapie ; it seems to be the Medobriga of the Bell. Alex. 48, and the town of the Medubricenses Plumbarii of Plin. iv. 21. s. 35); Fraxinus, 30 M. P., on or near the left bank of the Tagus {Amieira, Corte's ; Villa Velha, Lapie) ; Tubucci, 32 M. P. {Abran- tes or Punhete ?) ; Scalabis, 32 M. P., a colony and conventus, with the surname Praesidium Ju- Olisipo are very corrupt : they do not agree with the totals given at the head of each route ; and many of them are evidently too short.
 * The numbers on all the roads from Emerita to