The Impact of the Augustan Romanization in the Basin of the Douro River

Abstract

Despite the critical importance of the reign of Augustus for this region, because he was who subjected territories just north of the Douro, it is difficult to balance the impact of Romanization under his reign. Basically, the information is made up of three types of data: the literary sources relating to the War of Augusto against Cantabrians and Asturians; archaeological sources documenting mainly the presence of Roman military camps or the initial stages of urban development whose interpretation still poses numerous problems; and finally very few epigraphic sources attesting the administrative reorganization of the territory (termini augustales, termini pratorum), or specific aspects of the indigenous communities that are difficult to relate to the general events of the empire or of the Augustus’ government in the Iberian peninsula.