Iron age and Roman period Human presence in the Amarante area is sparsely attested before the
Iron Age, with only isolated finds. From the Iron Age onward, and more consistently during the
Roman period, settlement becomes better documented. One of the main sites is the Castro de Ladário, a
fortified hilltop settlement occupied from the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE. It may have served as the main center of the Atucausenses, a local tribal group identified in a Roman inscription found nearby in Pascoaes. Roman occupation is also evidenced at rural sites such as Pascoaes and Boavista, Cepelos, likely small farming communities (
villae or
vici) with water access and in proximity to regional roadways. Several Roman
necropolises have been identified within the municipality, including at Misericórdia, Barral, and Ataúdes, along with rock-cut wine presses which suggests local wine production. The arrival of the
Dominican friar
Gundisalvus of Amarante to Amarante during the early 13th century marks a period of development for the town. Amarante played a key role in the
Battle of the Bridge of Amarante during the second French invasion of Portugal in 1809, part of the Peninsular War. French forces under
Jean-de-Dieu Soult, commanded by
Louis Henri Loison, attempted to secure a route between Porto and Spain. After pillaging and burning the villages of Vila Meã, Manhufe and Pidre, they were held at the Tâmega River by Portuguese troops led by
Francisco da Silveira. For 14 days, Silveira’s largely ill-equipped force, including local citizens and clergy, resisted repeated French assaults on the bridge of São Gonçalo. On 2 May by detonating explosives under cover of fog, forcing the defenders to retreat. However, Silveira regrouped and later recaptured the town, compelling the French withdrawal from the region.. In 1836, the town of Amarante had 364 households. Between 1909 and 2009 Amarante was served by the
Tâmega line, a
narrow-gauge railway line linking it to Livração, on the Douro line. Between 1926 and 1949, the line extended beyond Amarante, reaching Celorico de Basto,
Mondim de Basto and ending in
Arco de Baúlhe. The section beyond Amarante was closed to all traffic in 1990, and the final section was closed on 25 March 2009, with bus replacement services continuing until the end of 2011. ==Geography==