The first documented human occupation dates from the 8th century BC. There is also evidence of trade with the
Phoenicians, due to its location as a commercial outpost on the
Tagus river. The Romans arrived at this region in 138 BC and settled in the city, then going by the name of
Scallabis, and limited to the fortified area currently known as
Alcáçova de Santarém. A latter designation was "
Scallabis Praesidium Iulium", given by
Julius Caesar in 61 BC, with the installation of a military camp next to the previous fortifications. Most of the citizens were then inscribed in the
Sergian Roman
gens. The city became one of the most important administrative centers of the
Lusitania province in the 1st century AD, as head of a
Conventus iuridicus, the
Conventus Scallabitanus that included cities such as
Olisipo,
Seilium and
Conímbriga. With the
Alan and
Vandal invasions, the city became known as "Sancta Irene", the root of the current name "Santarém". ==Archeology==