Roman Ruins of Pisões

The Roman Ruins of Pisões, is an important Roman villa rustica located in the civil parish of Beja in the municipality of Beja, in the Portuguese Alentejo [1]. The building belonged to an agricultural enterprise, that supplied the Roman city of Pax Julia from the 1st to the 4th centuries with foodstuffs [1]. The site is situated on the flanks of a small hill, and the villa implanted on a small incline along a watercourse in the Herdade de Almagrassa, not far from a Roman dam, and approximately 10 kilometres southwest of Beja [1]. Clearly visible is the pars urbana, the living area of the owners [1]. Mosaics with geometrical and naturalistic motives are to be found in the more important of the over 40 rooms of the pars urbana [1]. The villa is highlighted by its connection to a developed water collection and storage system [1]. The Roman dam is located just north of the villa and includes an unreinforced 58 by 4.3 metres gravity dam reinforced by a 3 metres thick wall [1]. The dam helped to supply water for agriculture and recreational purposes in the villa [1].