Lusitania

The Lusitania was an ancient area ruled by the Romans. It covered most of what we now call Portugal and parts of western Spain. The Romans named this place after the Lusitanians, a group of people who lived there long ago.

At first, the city of Emerita Augusta — which is today known as Mérida, Spain — was part of another Roman area called Hispania Ulterior. Later, it became the main city of the Lusitania province during the time of the Roman Empire.

The Romans came to this land in the second century before Christ. For many years, they fought with the local tribes. The Romans finally set up Lusitania as its own province around 27 before Christ. Even though people sometimes use the name Lusitania to mean Portugal today, the ancient capital was really in what is now Spain.

Etymology

The name Lusitania comes from the people called the Lusitani. There are many ideas about where the name came from, but no clear answer.

Some old scholars thought the name came from a Celtic word linked to Lugus, meaning "tribe." Others thought it might come from an ancient group called the Lucis or a word meaning "region" or "country of waters."

Ancient Roman writers like Pliny the Elder and Varro had their own ideas. They thought the name might come from Roman myths about a figure called Lusus linked to the god Bacchus.

The famous Portuguese poet Luís de Camões wrote about Lusus as the founder of Lusitania in his epic Os Lusíadas.

The writer Strabo noted that the people living north of the Douro River, once called "Lusitanians," were later called "Callacans."

Lusitanians

The Lusitani were a group of people who lived in parts of modern-day Portugal and Spain around the 6th century BC. Historians and archeologists are not sure where they came from originally. Some think they were local people who later adopted customs from other groups, while others believe they were related to tribes from far away, like the Swiss mountains.

They first settled in areas near the Douro River and Beira Alta in Portugal. Later, after defeating other local tribes, they expanded their area to include parts of Estremadura before the Romans arrived.

War against Rome

The Lusitani people, who lived in what we now call Portugal, fought against the Romans for many years. They first fought with the Carthaginians against Rome in 218 BC. They were known for their strong resistance.

In 179 BC, a Roman leader celebrated a victory, but the Lusitani kept fighting. They even reached Gibraltar before being defeated there. The Romans had trouble getting soldiers for these tough wars.

One Roman leader tricked the Lusitani into a false peace and then attacked them. A leader named Viriathus became a hero for leading attacks against the Romans. He was later killed by people paid by the Romans. The Romans kept fighting the Lusitani until they were defeated during the time of the Roman emperor Augustus.

Roman province

Rome took over all of the Iberian Peninsula, which today includes Portugal and parts of Spain. The Romans called this place Lusitania after a local group of people known as the Lusitanians.

The biggest city was Emerita Augusta, now called Mérida in Spain. It began as part of another Roman area but later became its own province. The region had special meetings in cities like Mérida, Santarém, and Beja to help lead the people.

Notable Lusitanians

Some famous people from the Lusitania region include Viriathus, Gaius Appuleius Diocles, and Pope Damasus I. These people were important in history and helped shape their communities.

Legacy of the name

See also: List of things named after Lusitania

The name Lusitania is often used to refer to Portugal, especially in formal, literary, and poetic contexts. In the 1500s, a new colony that later became Brazil was called "New Lusitania". Words like Lusophone, meaning someone who speaks Portuguese, and Lusitanic, referring to countries that once were Portugal's colonies but are now independent, come from this name as well.

The name Lusitania was also used for a famous ship, the RMS Lusitania. This ship was well-known because it was attacked by a German submarine in 1915. The ship's owner, Cunard, often named its ships after old Roman places. The Lusitania was named after a Roman area north of the Strait of Gibraltar, while its sister ship, RMS Mauretania, was named after a Roman area south of the strait.