Prehistory and Antiquity Human presence in the territory of Boticas dates back to prehistoric times and the
Iron Age, as demonstrated by the numerous fortified settlements (
castros) scattered across the municipality. Archaeologists have identified 27 such sites, of which the castros of Carvalhelhos and Lesenho are the most notable. Between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE, and possibly earlier, tin was mined at Carvalhelhos. In Lesenho, excavations uncovered four
statues of Gallaecian warriors, carved stone figures likely representing symbolic embodiments of local elites and their ancestral traditions, reinforcing the political and religious authority of the fortified settlements with which they were associated. Archaeological evidence includes coins of emperors such as
Hadrian and
Constantine X Doukas, remains of thermal baths at Carvalhelhos and the Pedrinha bridge over the Beça River.
Middle Ages and Modern Era During the early Middle Ages, the territory was traversed by successive waves of invading peoples, including the
Suebi and
Visigoths and later
the Moors. Several local toponyms include the word Mouro (
Moor) and are believed to date form this period, such as Côto dos Mouros, Penedo dos Mouros, Estrada dos Mouros, Cova da Moura, Moura Encantada and Mouril. The Barroso family, named after a tower in the locality of Sipiões (Sapiãos), descended from the Guedeões lineage and rose to prominence during the conquest of Seville in 1247 by
Ferdinand III of Castile. In 1367,
Ferdinand I granted the lands of Barroso to Rui Vasques Pereira, later transferring them to Vasco Gonçalves Barroso. Under John I, Boticas passed to
Nuno Álvares Pereira, and from then the Terras de Barroso remained in the hands of the
Dukes of Braganza and their descendants. == Geography ==