21 - Late-Empire Wall

At the end of the 3rd century AD or the beginning of the 4th, social and economic problems of a magnitude difficult to determine led to the construction of an imposing defensive wall in Conimbriga. This structure, approximately 6 to 8 meters high and with an average thickness of over 3 meters, displays an important military apparatus, intended for a permanent garrison and composed of turrets, staircases, access roads, and patrol paths. Its construction implied a significant reduction in the urban perimeter, which went from approximately 22 hectares to just over half, eliminating a considerable number of private buildings (houses of the Fountains, of the Swastika Cross, of the Skeletons...) and public buildings (the Baths of the wall, the Amphitheatre...), whose demolition was inevitable. The construction materials were reused in the new work, and many of the architectural elements, sculptures, and inscriptions preserved in the Museum were removed from its interior during cleaning or conservation and restoration work. Of the two gates that existed in the city in later times, the gate that opened onto the road coming from Sellium (Tomar) is the best preserved. It is surrounded by two imposing towers that defended the entrance: inside, a robust two-leaf wooden gate, possibly sheeted, of which the lower metal hinges are preserved, and outside, protecting the first, an iron gate that ran in a track and could be raised and lowered whenever necessary.