Oestriminis facts for kids
In ancient Latin poems, the name Oestreminis meant "Extreme West." This name was used for the land that is now Portugal and Galicia. It was like saying "the end of the earth" from the viewpoint of people living around the Mediterranean Sea. The people who lived there were called Oestrimni because of their location.
A Roman poet named Rufus Avienius Festus wrote a poem called Ora Maritima (which means "Seacoasts") in the 4th century CE. This poem was inspired by an older Greek sailing guide. In his poem, Avienius wrote that Oestriminis was home to the Oestrimni people for a very long time. He said they had to leave their homes because of an invasion of serpents. This story is a fantasy and doesn't match what historians or archaeologists have found. However, the poetic name has sometimes been used in popular stories about the early Stone Age people of western Iberia.
The ancient Greek writings also mention "serpent people" from a semi-mythical place called Ophiussa in the far west.
See also
In Spanish: Oestrimnios para niños
- Lusitania
- Lusitanian mythology
- History of Portugal
- Timeline of Portuguese history
