Citânia de Briteiros

Citânia de Briteiros is an ancient fortified hill settlement (a castro) in the Braga district of northern Portugal, with occupation dating to the first millennium BC and continuing into the Roman era. It is one of the region’s most important archaeological sites for the pre-Roman period.

The settlement was occupied from the Iron Age and shows continuity and adaptation through the late pre-Roman period and into Roman times, when some urban features were reworked. Archaeological excavations during the 19th and 20th centuries uncovered house plans, walls and material culture that have informed understanding of Castro society.

The citânia is located in the Braga district near the town of Briteiros and the city of Guimarães in northern Portugal, set on a defensible hill within the surrounding rural landscape.

• Preservation and period: The site is one of the best-preserved 'castro' (pre-Roman hillfort) settlements in northern Portugal, with visible stone houses and defensive walls dating principally to the Iron Age and Roman periods.

What to See #

• Fortified settlement and domestic terraces: The defended settlement core with concentric stone ramparts and streets of small stone-built houses laid out on terraced platforms.
• Excavated structures and visitor paths: Exposed archaeological structures and interpretive paths that show foundations, house plans and sections of the surrounding defensive wall.