page_title: São Jorge Castle
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: São Jorge Castle / History
caption_attribution_description: OLISIPO, SIVE UT PERVETUSTA LAPIDUM INSCRIPTIONES HABENT, ULYSIPPO, VULGO LISBONA FLORENTISSIMUM PORTUGALLIA EMPORIU English: View of Lisbon and Tagus River in the 16th century - Sailing ship’s Caravel and Carrack at the age of Portuguese discoveries Français&#160;: Vue de Lisbonne et du fleuve Tage au XVIe siècle - Navires à voile Caravelle et Caraque à l’époque grandes découvertes portugaises Português: Vista de Lisboa e Rio Tejo no século XVI - Navios à vela Caravela e Carraca na era descobrimentos portugueses
context_page_description: São Jorge Castle is a historic castle in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, located in the freguesia of Santa Maria Maior. Human occupation of the castle hill dates to at least the 8th century BC while the first fortifications built date from the 1st century BC. The hill on which São Jorge Castle stands has played an important part in the history of Lisbon, having served as the location of fortifications occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, before its conquest by the Portuguese in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon. Since the 12th century, the castle has variously served as a royal palace, a military barracks, home of the Torre do Tombo National Archive, and now as a national monument and museum.
context_section_description: Although the first fortifications on this hilltop date from the 1st century BC, archaeological excavations have identified a human presence in the Tagus valley as far back as the 8th century BC. The first fortification was, presumably, erected in 48 BC, when Lisbon was classified as a Roman municipality.
  The hill was first used by indigenous Celtic tribes, then by Phoenicians, followed by Greeks and later the Carthaginians as a defensive outpost that was later expropriated successively by the Romans, the Suebi, the Visigoths, and the Moors. During the 10th century, the fortifications were rebuilt by Muslim Berber forces; these included the walls or Cerca Moura ("Moorish Encirclement").
caption: Caravels and carracks in the Tagus River, with the castle in the centre distance, unknown artist (1572)
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