page_title: Balsa (Roman town)
section_title: Status, society and economy
hierarchical_section_title: Balsa (Roman town) / Status, society and economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Funerary cippus from the ancient city of Balsa, that was found in the Nossa Senhora da Luz Church, in Tavira, Portugal. It was later placed on the Faro Museu, where the photograph was taken.Português: Cipo funerário da antiga cidade de Balsa, que foi encontrado na Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz, no concelho de Tavira, em Portugal. Foi depois guardado no Museu de Faro, onde foi tirada a fotografia.
context_page_description: Balsa was a Roman coastal town in the province of Lusitania, Conventus Pacensis.
  The modern location is in the rural estates of Torre d'Aires, Antas and Arroio, parish of Luz de Tavira, county of Tavira, district of Faro, in Algarve, Southern Portugal. Although having been one of the biggest Roman cities of Lusitania at the time, only in 2019 did excavations finally reveal remnants of Balsa.
context_section_description: Epigraphic inscriptions reveal BALSA as a Latin Right Municipality (ius Latii Municipium) during the 2nd century CE, most probably promoted by Domitian (81-96 CE).
  All main aspects of provincial Romanisation are documented locally: A res publica with a ordo decurionica IRCP 75, local prominence of the gens Manlia CIL II, 5161 CIL II, 5162, magistrates (duunvir belonging to the QUIRINA tribe CIL II, 5162), sexvir CIL II, 13, public slaves (balsensium dispensator, CIL II, 5164), evergetism (spectacle of naumachia and pugilate CIL II, 13, collective construction of a circus CIL II, 5165 CIL II, 5166 and other unidentified monuments CIL II, 5167), imperial cult IRCP 90 and a large proportion of Greek and North African names. A Roman citizen of Neapolis (Nabeul, Tunisia) with a daughter in Pax Iulia (Beja, Portugal) countryside, declares himself an incola of BALSA! CIL II, 105.
  The level of Romanisation in BALSA can also be inferred from the known personal names (39 men and 16 women): 58% have tria nomina or are women with Latin dua nomina. 71% have a Roman nomen and the remaining 27% a single cognomen, these being mostly Greek names. Native name words in all forms (Celtic or Turdetanian) are a small minority (9%).
  From the 3rd century comes a rare funerary monument in Greek, considered by some to be Christian CIL II, 5171, and a hoard of coins of Claudius Gothicus (268-270 CE) discovered in a bath sewer.
  Imported terra sigillata and glassware form a continuous series between late Augustan wares (early Hispanic) and late African D, late Gallic and Focean, with the latest pieces dated from the 7th century. The overwhelming volume peak corresponds to South Gallic wares of the 1st century CE but the studied material is much limited topographically.
  Fish preserve industries are well documented in the town and neighbourhood, as well as amphorae factories. Six garum producers are known in BALSA by their industrial brands: AEMHEL, OLYNT, LEVGEN, IVNIORVM, IMETVS F and DASIMVSTELI
caption: A Roman Cippus found in Balsa with an inscription honoring an Annius Primitivus for having financed a naval and athlete fight. Now at display at Faro's Museum.
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