A versatile Villa in Roman Sado
In the 1st century AD, a Roman-style villa was established on the Herdade da Comenda estate, featuring the pars urbana, pars rustica, and pars fructuaria components, spanning both banks of the Ajuda or Aravil’s stream.
Today, several domestic structures have been identified, including a possible hypocaust (ancient heating system) and one of the pools from a thermal bathhouse, as well as a dam with water channels, among other archaeological remains that future excavations may reveal. Near the stream, you can still observe the fish salting tanks from factories that produced various fish-based products, sauces, and salted fish. These operations ensured the villa's self-sufficiency beyond agricultural production and allowed for surplus goods to be sold, capitalizing on the region's abundant fish and salt resources from the Atlantic and the Sado estuary, reaching as far as Alcácer do Sal.
Occupation of the villa likely continued into the late antiquity period, with evidence of extensive trade connections with distant regions such as North Africa.
Ana Patrícia Magalhães
CECH – University of Coimbra
Did you know the Lower Sado Valley was one of the most important economic regions of Lusitania during Roman times?
The area's excellent accessibility, navigability, and rich natural resources—especially marine resources—attracted Roman settlers early on to the banks of the Sado estuary.
Illustration by César Figueiredo
The Roman Heritage of Comenda
The Roman Comenda and the neighboring Gávea reflect the ideal of Roman citizenship in villas, blending agricultural and marine resource exploitation with the pleasures of rural life.
Illustration by César Figueiredo
Preserving Our Heritage!
Portuguese fish preserves are part of a long-standing Roman tradition, with fish salting factories being a prime example. At the Roman Comenda, various spaces would have been dedicated to producing salted fish and sauces, including the famous garum, primarily made from sardines—the region's most cherished fish, even today.
Illustration by César Figueiredo
A semicircular structure that might have been part of a thermal bathhouse pool.
Photogrammetry by Miguel Martins, CHTC – CEF, University of Coimbra.
A view of the base of a salting tank in 2021.
Photograph by Elisabete Barradas, AFA - Arqueologia e Formação Aplicada.