The villa is believed to have been constructed in the 2nd century, while traces of a wall and a turret suggest a defensive fortification during antiquity.

[1] In addition to ceramic and metal artifacts, coins were also found dating between 205 and 450 A.D., suggesting a more intense occupation during the final era of the Roman Empire.

[1][2] The site had already been known for some time when investigators Afonso do Paço (1895–1968) and Fausto de Figueiredo began their first excavations in the first half of the 20th century.

[2] The site is located in an rural environment, situated on a hill overlooking the Cresmina Dune, in the midst of woods that stretch north of the village of Areia.

[1][2] The excavation of the necropolis yielded a vast collection of ceramic vessels, jewellery, weapons and coins, the latter attributed to Constantius II(c.317–361), Constans (c.?–350), Theodosius I (c.346–395), Constantine the Great (c.271–337) and Arcadius (c.377–408), suggesting a more permanent occupation.