Evora - 3 - Roman Past

Evora's Roman past keeps surfacing when repairs are done underneath current buildings, and sometimes it is quite visible even now. At the center of town on top of the hill, right next to the cathedral (which itself was built on top of a mosque from the Moorish occupation and that in turn built on top of a Christian Visigoth church) are the remains of a Roman temple. Locally it is called the Temple of Diana but it is now believed likely to have been dedicated to a Roman emperor. It certainly makes a dramatic statement.

In the Evora museum are a few artifacts uncovered in this area from Roman times. I include a picture of an expressive hand from a statue, and most incredibly, a delicate glass bowl that somehow survived almost 2000 years!