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Idanha-a-Velha - capital of the civicas Igaeditanorum of the Roman time - was possibly established in the period of Augustus (séc. I B.C.) and will have been the result of the pacification politics and order of the territory, on the part of Rome, and of the necessity to create an intermediate point of stopping between Guarda and Mérida.
Of the city name it is not known much. The oldest sources only relate it while the Civic administrative circumscription Igaeditanorum, name derived from the assignment of the pre-Roman people who inhabited the region where the new city was implanted (igaeditani). The current form drift of the visigótica form Egitania and the Idania Arab.
Also it's not known much itself of the history of the city during the Roman period, even so must have had a period of great prosperity during the High Empire.
With the peninsular germanic invasions of the beginning of séc. V the city started to integrate the kingdom of the suevos. Of this period also little it is known. The available information respects to the creation of the diocese of the Egitania, with headquarters in Idanha-a-Velha, perhaps for determination of king Teodomiro. In 569 the city became to represent in Concílio de Lugo.
In 585 the kingdom of the suevos was integrated in the visigótico kingdom. Idanha-a-Velha will have profit a new economic and politician-administrative impulse. The mint of gold currency seems to be an unequivocal demonstration of that period of prosperity.
The city was taken to the visigótico kingdom for the Muslen in the year of 713.
D. Afonso Henriques ordered to occupy Idanha and donated it Gualdim Pais, of the Templar Order. Having been again taken by the Mouros, it was reconquered again from the Muslen in the reign of Sancho I who have returned it to the Templars. However, given its position, he falls again at the hands of the Muslen. In the time of D. Sancho II it was finally taken and was donated again to the Templar Order who done some military workmanships of which the most known it is the tower that seats on podium of the temple of the forum.
However, the displacement of the border each time more for south and east, provoked an inexorable process of decay. After successive attempts of setting of the population in Idanha, through the multiple concession benesses, D.Manuel I grants to it the "Foral Noovo", in 1 of June of 1510, having this been a last one and frustrated regal attempt to return to the city its prestige and importance.

Text taken from: www.cm-idanhanova.pt and translated with google
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Today there are few people living in this Historic Village and National Monument, but its very well conserved and it's a place that certainly deserves a touristic visit