This issue commemorates the long history of Beja. Probably founded by the Celtics around 400 BC, it became a major Roman settlement, named Pax Julia to celebrate the peace agreement between Julius Caesar and the Lusitanians in 48BC. It was settled by the Visigoths, who called it Paca, and then by the Moors, who gave it its current name. Due to its strategic position, on a hill overlooking the Alentejo plains, it was the object of many battles throughout its history. In the 13th century, King Afonso III started repopulating and rebuilding the city, using the stones from the old Roman road to build the city wall.

The stamps were designed by José de Moura, lithographed by Litografia de Portugal on enamelled paper sheets of 5×10 stamps with perforation 13½, and circulated from 13 November 1974 to 31 December 1983.

Stamp	Print run	Afinsa	Gibbons	Michel	Scott	Yvert
1.50	9,000,000	1230	1549	1260
3.50	1,000,000	1231	1550	1261
7.00	1,000,000	1232	1551	1262

Related posts:

1. Roman Temple of Évora
2. World Heritage Site: Angra do Heroísmo
3. Five Centuries of Tiles in Portugal 2
4. Five Centuries of Tiles in Portugal 3
5. Five Centuries of Tiles in Portugal 1

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