Cividade de Terroso

Cividade de Terroso was an important city of the Castro culture in North-western Iberian Peninsula, located in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.

The city, known during the Middle Ages as Civitas Teroso (The City of Terroso), was built at the summit of Cividade Hill, in the suburban area of Terroso, Póvoa de Varzim, less than 5 km from the coast, near the eastern edge of the modern city.

Located in the heart of the Castro region, the Cividade prospered due to its strong defensive walls and its location near the ocean, which facilitated trade with the maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean Sea. However, this trade eventually attracted Roman attention and the Cividade and the Castro culture perished at the end of the Lusitanian War, in which Rome's victory was secured through the murder of Viriathus, leader of the Lusitanians.

Beyond the main Castro settlement, three of Cividade de Terroso's outposts are known: Castro de Laundos (mostly unexplored), Castro de Navais (only the fountain and site remains, as it is inhabited to this day), and Castro de Argivai (a Castro culture farmhouse, severely damaged when it was discovered).

Braga (Maximinos, Sé e Cividade)

Braga (Maximinos, Sé e Cividade) is a civil parish in the municipality of Braga, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Maximinos, Sé and Cividade. The population in 2011 was 14,572, in an area of 2.57 km².

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References

Terroso

Terroso is a suburban area in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is a former civil parish currently located in União das Freguesias de Aver-o-Mar, Amorim e Terroso. It is an ancient ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish located in Póvoa de Varzim. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 2,472 inhabitants and a total area of 4.63 km². A 2012 law merged the civil parish with neighbouring Amorim and Aver-o-Mar, becoming the northern parish of the city of Póvoa de Varzim.

Terroso derives from the Latin terrosu, meaning "full of soil". The name was used for Cividade or Cividade Hill.

History

Cividade de Terroso, an ancient Castro city established around 900 and 800 BC is located in the parish of Terroso. But the parish has been shaped by man since much earlier times. Tumuli are known to exist in the area, such as in Leira da Anta and Cortinha da Fonte da Mama. Mamoa de Sejães still exists unbroken after thousands of years.

The earliest reference to Terroso dates from 953: "subtus montis Terroso", referring to its hill.