AQUAE SEGETAE
(Sceaux du Gâtinais) Loire,
France.
Mentioned in the
Peutinger Table as
Aquae Segestae. A thermal center on the road from
Agedincum (Sens) to Orléans, 82 leagues from Agedincum and 22 leagues from Fines (Ingrannes). The well-preserved section of the road in this area is known as
Le Chemin de César. The name Sceaux comes from
Segeta, a goddess of the springs worshiped both at Saint
Galmier in the Vosges and at Moind in Le Forez.
Much digging has been done on the site since 1836,
and important ruins have been located at Le Préau, E of
the modern village. These consist, first, of a long rectangular building (400 x 75 m) oriented NW-SE, with a
pool at either end. The N pool terminates in an apse. The
S corner, which includes several rooms around a basin
to the N, is now being cleared. The architecture is
carefully executed, and fragments of marble from different regions have been found. The building apparently
goes back to the Flavian era, and underwent changes
and embellishments in the 2d c. This is undoubtedly the
Sanctuary of Segeta, with its healing pools fed by a ferruginous spring (now dried up) and probably also by
an aqueduct, traces of which have been located for a
distance of 30 km.
A theater 104 m in diameter lies NW of the spa buildings; its cavea is built on embankments supported by
walls, and the orchestra is semi-elliptical. Traces of
several other monuments have been located, and a great
number of finds have come from the ruins, in particular, hoards of coins and silver plate. The city also had
necropoleis. A very large, rich Merovingian cemetery in
the area known as Le Mérie is being excavated, and
a second has been located.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Grenier,
Manuel d' archéologie gallo-romaine III, 2 (1958) Ludi, 874-76; Abbé Nouel,
Origines
gallo-romaines du Sud du Bassin Parisien, 22-23;
Gallia
26, 2 (1968) 325-27; Mémoires inédits de M. Roncin
et de
Mlle. Matthieu. G. C. PICARD
