Villa Romana de Nossa Senhora da Tourega

About

The Roman villa of Tourega is in the parish of Nossa Senhora da Tourega in the Évora District of the Alentejo region of Portugal. During Roman occupation of Portugal it was part of the province of Lusitania, situated a few kilometers to the southwest of Civitas Ebora Liberalitas Julia, the modern-day Evora. It was next to the Roman road to Salacia (present-day Alcácer do Sal) and only five kilometers from the Roman road to Pax Julia, the modern-day Beja.

Excavations indicate that it was in use between the mid-first century CE and the end of the fourth century and that, at least in the third century, it belonged to a family of senatorial rank. The Villa, which was primarily used for farming, was classified as a Site of Public Interest in 2012. Part of the site was excavated between 1985 and 1996 but ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has identified further large areas to the south and west that remain to be excavated.

The area excavated so far consists of a large thermal bath with separate facilities for men and women, with hot and cold water, together with the furnaces and heating systems and a large water reservoir. Archaeologists believe that the baths were constructed in three phases...