In the context of the 21st edition of Braga Romana, the exhibition “BRACARA AUGUSTA. 2040 YEARS OF HISTORY” was inaugurated on May 7th, under the scientific coordination of the Archaeology Unit of the University of Minho.

 

The exhibition “BRACARA AUGUSTA. 2040 YEARS OF HISTORY” aims to showcase the Roman legacy of the city of Braga. Founded by Emperor Augustus in the 1st century BC. C, it was the capital of Conventus and, later, promoted to capital of the province of Gallecia. Playing an aggregating role in the integration of the Bracari, it asserted itself through the legal, religious and economic functions it assumed in the administrative organization of Hispania.
Based on archaeological and epigraphic data, we now have knowledge about its urban structure, economic activities, as well as the daily life of an important Roman city in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The richness and monumentality of Bracara Augusta is echoed in the archaeological ruins scattered throughout the city, from where it is possible to give voice to the tastes of its inhabitants and experience the day-to-day life of a Bracara Augusta resident. This immersion into everyday domestic life begins inside the houses and continues along the streets that lead to the forum, the theater and the thermal baths. Arriving at the outskirts, from where all the roads that connected Bracara Augusta with the other cities started, we find the craft, worship and burial spaces.

 

More than an exhibition, it is a dive into the daily life of a city that was the capital of Gallaecia and the pride of the Roman Empire. Through archaeological remains, inscriptions and reconstructions, it is possible to discover how the people of Bracaraugustan lived — how they worked, how they prayed, where they met.
From domestic spaces to spas, from the theater to the forum, explore the history that lies at the roots of Braga.

Take a trip back in time and rediscover the city where it all began.

 

Images and text: Municipality of Braga