Peoples of western Iberia who resisted Roman expansion and became associated with Viriathus and Sertorius.
Overview
The Lusitanians inhabited parts of the western Iberian Peninsula. Roman campaigns against them were prolonged, difficult, and marked by contested agreements and harsh reprisals.
Why It Matters
Their resistance revealed the limits of Roman control in Iberia. Later, Sertorius built alliances among Iberian communities during the civil conflicts of the first century BC.
In Roman Practice
Ancient descriptions simplify a varied regional population. The category should not be treated as a single unified nation in the modern sense.