The aim of the present study is to offer a reading of what the distribution of the rural population of Alto Alentejo may have looked like in Roman times. Dealing with such an extensive territorial area and with such a diverse landscape has allowed us to better understand how the patterns of organization of rural human settlements were influenced both by the natural environment as well as the pre-existing rural communities. Drawing on substantial work of archaeological prospection, this study therefore proceeds to analyze the factors that motivated the creation of a landscape that was inhabited and modified throughout Empire and Late Antiquity by many diverse people
