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Roman ruins of Quinta da Abicada

Italy

Roman ruins of Quinta da Abicada

Abicada (Villa Romana de Abicada or Estação romana da Quinta da Abicada) is the name of Roman ruins in Mexilhoeira Grande, to the north of the civil parish of Alvor, municipality of Portimão, in Algarve region, Portugal. In Roman times it was in the colony of Ipses, in the Roman province of Lusitani

a, which was authorized to mint currency, and where a woman named Pompeia Exoce looked after the burial of her grandson. Portimão, to east-southeast, known as Portus Magnus at the time, was an important Roman commercial port when the Roman villa was built. The complex is located on a south-facing promontory spur located between Mexilhoeira Grande and Alvor. The spur lies about eight meters above sea level and is surrounded by the rivers Ribeira do Farelo and Ribeira de Senhora do Verde (Ribeira da Torre), which flow into the Ria de Alvor immediately south. The building, classified as a villa maritima, is characterized by its sophisticated architecture with two peristyles – one hexagonal and the other square-shaped. The villa contained well-preserved geometrically shaped polychrome mosaics (now in the museum of Portimão) and is believed to date from the 4th century AD. The hill itself was...

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