Portus Cale was an ancient town and port in what is now northern Portugal, in the area of present-day Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, established by the Roman general Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus around 136 BC as a commercial hub linking inland settlements to maritime trade routes. After Rome declined, the region passed through Suebi, Visigothic and Muslim control before the Christian warlord Vimara Peres reconquered it in 868 and founded the Condado de Portucale, the County of Portugal. The town Latin name evolved through Portucale and Portugale to become the name of the modern nation of Portugal.
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