Vila Cardílio
| Roman Ruins of Villa Cardillio (Ruinas Romanas de Vila Cardílio) | |
| Ruins (Ruinas) | |
 A general view of the ruins of the ancient Roman vila
|
|
| Official name: Vila Lusitano-Romana de Vila Cardílio | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Region | Centre |
| Subregion | Médio Tejo |
| District | Santarém |
| Municipality | Torres Novas |
| Location | Santa Maria |
| - elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| - coordinates | 39°27′10.43″N 8°31′40.50″W / 39.4528972°N 8.5279167°WCoordinates: 39°27′10.43″N 8°31′40.50″W / 39.4528972°N 8.5279167°W |
| Length | 65.0 m (213 ft), North-South |
| Width | 49.85 m (164 ft), West-East |
| Architects | unknown |
| Style | Roman |
| Materials | Masonry stone, Tile, Opus tessellatum, Opus signinum |
| Origin | 1st century |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| For public | Public |
| Easiest access | 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Torres Novas, in the locality of Caveira |
| Management | Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico |
| Status | National Monument |
| Listing | Decree 47/508; DG20, 24 January 1967 |
The Roman ruins of Villa Cardillio (Portuguese: Ruinas romanas de Vila Cardílio) is an archaeological site located in central Portugal, situated in the rural civil parish of Santa Maria, located approximately 3 km from the centre of the municipal seat of Torres Novas. Receiving its name from a mosaic pavement onsite, the specific translation of piece is still unclear, but assumed that the site was owned by a couple. The ruins were first excavated in 1962, yielding hundreds of coins and well as ceramics, bronze works, Assyrian and Egyptian glass works, as well as some jewellery and a statue of Eros.
The first construction of this "villa" occurred in the first century, of which only remains the primitive atrium and the remains of the thermal baths (which later adapted into the successive infrastructures.
Vila Cadílio's second phase occurred of around the 4th century, being the property of Cardílio and Avita.
In 1930, the site served as a mine, whose property-owner (from Casais da Caveira) removed 360 cartloads of rock from the site. The first archaeological interest in the site occurred in 1932; Jalhay and Afonso do Paço began investigating the grounds, cataloguing the built-up environment.
Formal excavations of the site occurred between 1963 and 1964, under the direction of Afonso do Paço. It was revised in 1980, under the direction of Jorge Alarcão and supervised by Drs. Monteiro and Quinteira, from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Coimbra. This intervention used a stratigraphic method of excavation, utilizing a graticule plan of the site. Of the remnants encountered until 1963, were the following: a clay statue, amphora, coins dated between 145 A.D. and 408 A.D., and a statue of Eros in Carrara marble. During subsequent excavations in 1963-1964 fragments of terra sigillata were discovered, that included various periods of fabrication: ceramic utensils (such as vases, plates and amphorae); metal objects (a bird, a bronze bell and fibula; and glass, ivory and bone. Material from the 1980-1981 were not published.
...
Wikipedia