Roman Villa of Rabaçal

A 4th-century Roman villa near Penela, 12 km south of Conimbriga, along the ancient road from Olisipo (Lisbon) to Bracara Augusta (Braga). Excavations begun in 1984 uncovered a unique octagonal peristyle with 24 columns at its center, around which residential and service areas radiate symmetrically across a 150 by 50 meter footprint. The mosaics depicting the seasons, a quadriga, and a seated female figure show African and Oriental influences found nowhere else in Portugal. The villa was later restructured by the Visigoths before abandonment following invasions in 409-411 AD.