Conistorgis was the main city of theConii or Cynetes. In the Conii language it probably meant "city of the Conii". TheCeltici seem to have been present there.
Conistorgis was located somewhere in the interior of theAlgarve, in southernmostPortugal, although the exact location is unknown.
Strabo places the land of the Conii between the riverAnas andHieron Akroterion (sacred promontory), with the latter being the most extreme point of theknown world. He places Conistorgis inCeltic territory. In 1990, the most likely location was considered to beBaixo Alentejo orAlgarve, northeast ofSerra do Caldeirão.[1]
Some attempts have been made to identify Conistorgis with later, Roman sites. One suggestion is that Conistorgis would have been located inBeja, one of the few Portuguese cities not to have a preroman name. This hypothesis would interpret the name Conistorgis as having aCeltic origin and meaning waterless (orgis) hill (conis) and thatJulius Caesar would later renamePax Julia.[2] Another hypothesis is that Conistorgis would correspond toMedellín, Spain.[3] None of these two suggestions are consensual among experts.[2][3]
The Conii had made an alliance with the Romans during the conquest of theIberian Peninsula.
Appian mentions the city twice: once, between 155 and 152 BC, when the city is raided by theLusitanians, led byCaucenus, during theLusitanian War againstRome. The second time is whenServius Sulpicius Galba retreats into the city around 150 BC, after his first battle against the Lusitanians.[4] Thus, the city was reconquered between 155 BC and 150 BC, probably byMarcus Atilius, when he fights against the Lusitanians andVettones.[1]
During theSertorian War, Conistorgis is again attacked. The Sertorian forces attack the Roman forces garrisoned in Conistorgis.[1]
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