Braga Romana 2026, Day 4
It rained overnight and was threatening to most of the day, so we spent most of it indoors except for a visit to the soldiers’ encampment. Today’s post is pretty much just pictures.
This previous one needs a bit of explanation. This statue is the square all year round, and although it looks like cheap plastic, it’s actually painted stone. It’s meant to mimic the way ancient Greek and Roman statues were actually painted. The monochrome marble we’re used to is because the paint has all disappeared over time. However, everybody agrees they don’t like how it looks and locals call this The Gaudy Caesar.
And now for a whole lotta birds!
The original program said there were falconry demonstrations, but we never found a schedule. I think this was a casualty of some of the chaos caused by the new mayor. It was a little disappointing, but hopefully will be resolved by next year, and also at some point my Portuguese will be good enough that I can ask the reenactors some questions.
Notice the realistic leather lace-up sandals he’s wearing? What a great attention to detail. I wish I could have asked him about the socks, they look more modern.
More explanation. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt because salt was really valuable. Here it’s preserving meat so nothing goes bad. The Roman name for salt was “salaria” and that’s apparently where “salary” comes from.
