Ophiussa is the ancient name given by the ancient Greeks to the Portuguese territory. It means Land of Serpents. Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ...

The expulsion of the Oestrimni

The 4th century Roman poet on geographical subjects, Rufus Avienus Festus, in Ora Maritima ("Seacoasts"), a document inspired by a mariners' Periplus, records "Oestriminis" (or the extreme west) peopled by the Oestrimni, a people that lived there from a long time, who had to run away from their lands after an invasion of serpents. This could be a relation to, the Saephe or Ophis ("people of the serpents") and the Dragani ("people of the dragons") that came to that lands and formed what was known by the Greeks as Ophiussa. Some authors relate the Ophi people to druids and proto-Celts or to ancient Egypt. In a Egyptian tradition, refeers that the Egyptian "serpents" from Carnac or Luxor had emigrated to Europe. Avienus was a Latin writer of the 4th century. ... A periplus in the ancient navigation of Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans is a manuscript document that lists in order the ports and coastal landmarks, with approximate distances between, that the captain of a vessel could expect to find along a shore. ... Carnac is a village and commune in the Gulf of Morbihan, on the south coast of Brittany. ... See also the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Statue of Ramses II Luxor is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

The expulsion of the Oestrimni, from Ora Maritima:

Ophiussam ad usque. rursum ab huius litore

internum ad aequor, qua mare insinuare se

dixi ante terris, quodque Sardum nuncupant,

septem dierum tenditur pediti via.

Ophiussa porro tanta panditur latus

quantam iacere Pelopis audis insulam

Graiorum in agro. haec dicta primo Oestrymnis est

locos et arva Oestrymnicis habitantibus,

post multa serpens effugavit incolas

vacuamque glaebam nominis fecit sui.

Land of the Ophi

The Ophi people lived mainly in the interior mountains in Northern Portugal (including Galicia). Others say they lived mainly in the estuaries of Rivers Douro and Tagus. This people worshiped the serpents, hence Land of Serpents. There have been some ancient archeological findings that could be related to this people or culture. Some believe that the dragon, symbol of the city of Oporto is related to this people, or to the Celts who later invaded the area who also could have been influenciated by the Ophi cult. Motto: Galiza Ceibe Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  – Spanish  Galician  galego  gallego Statute of Autonomy April... Saint George versus the dragon, Gustave Moreau, c. ... A modern view of the ancient city of Porto, the city that gave the name to the country. ... This article is about the European people. ...

Ophi legend

There is a legend that on the Summer Solstice a maiden-serpent, a Chthonic goddess, revels the occult treasures to the forest explorers. The city of Oporto was where this maiden would live. Festivities related to this goddess occurred during the Solstice, while for the rest of the year this maiden transformes into a serpent living under and between the rocks, where shepherds would take some milk from their sheep to give to her. The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the Sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... In mythology chthonic (from Greek χθονιος-pertaining to the earth; earthy) designates, or pertains to, gods or spirits of the underworld, especially in Greek mythology. ...

See also

• Lusitania
• Lusitanian mythology
• History of Portugal
• Monuments of Portugal
• Portugal

Roman province of Lusitania, 120 AD Lusitania, an ancient Roman province approximately including current Portugal and part of western current Spain, named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people. ... Lusitanian (or Ancient Portuguese) Gods were later related with the Celtic and Roman invaders. ... Before the creation of the modern Portuguese state, Portugal was ruled by the Phoenicians (from 1104 BCE), Carthaginians (from 258 BCE), Romans (from 218 BCE), Lusitanians (native insurrection from 194 BCE), Suevi (from 409), Visigoths (from 416), Moors (from 711), and Asturians and Leonese (from 739). ... Portugal is a country with a long History. ...

External Links

• Ora Maritima (http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/avienus.ora.html) (in Latin)
• Culto a la serpiente en el mundo Antiguo (http://www.uned.es/geo-1-historia-antigua-universal/SERPIENTES/SERPIENTEDICIEMBRE/SERPIENTE_15DICIEMBRE_15.htm) Serpent cult in the Ancient Word (in Spanish)