Mértola e o seu território na antiguidade tardia (séculos IV-VIII) + Resumen

Zusammenfassung

The theme of the present work, �Mértola and its territory in Late Antiquity (IV-VIII centuries)�, is part of a line of archaeological research that I have been developing since 1990 in Mértola�s Archaeological Centre. The results are the fruit of several archaeological excavation and field survey campaigns that I have been co-responsible for, as a part of the institution�s team, and that has greatly contributed, on a continuous basis, to the knowledge of the material culture and historical topography of the city of Myrtilis city and its territory. The study presented here incorporates a significant amount of new data, which reaffirms the importance of the port city of Mértola and its territory in Late Antiquity. The fact that it sits in the navigable limit of the Guadiana river, the starting point of important land routes that connected the cities of Lusitania with major Mediterranean trade routes, has given this city a unusually rich heritage that has been patiently revealed by archaeological works. From this port city departed the best that the land could offer - grain, wine, olive oil, and minerals � and arrived people, products, fashions and religions, reflecting a turbulent historical period in which the Roman Empire slowly crumbles and witnessing the birth and affirmation of regional powers, supported by the Christian religion, which marked the topography of the city of Mértola and its territory.