Origin and history
Aquis Segeste, mentioned on the Puisinger table under the name Aquis Segeste (corrected in Aquae Segetae by modern researchers), is a Gallo-Roman secondary agglomeration located in Sceaux-du-Gâtinais, Loiret (Central-Val de Loire region). This archaeological site, founded in the first century on a pre-existing Gallic place of worship, has its climax in the second century before gradually declining until its abandonment at the end of the fourth century. It is organized around a source sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Segeta, a Celtic divinity associated with healing waters, whose cult attracts pilgrims and merchants. The sanctuary, surrounded by a peristyle peribole, includes a polylobed nymph (unique in France to its discovery in 1973), curative baths, and a theatre that can accommodate up to 15,000 spectators. Residential neighbourhoods, artisanal workshops and a structured urban network complete this 25-hectare urban complex.
The development of Aquis Segeste is linked to its strategic position near the Roman Way Sens-Orléans (called "César's Way") and near the Fusain, tributary of the Loing, major river axis. The city, attached to the Civitas des Senons (Province of Gaule Lyonnaise), prospers thanks to its status as a water town, one of the fifty-two cited on the Puisinger table. Its decline began after fires in the third century, aggravated by the economic crisis and the rise of Christianity. In the fourth century, the sanctuary was partially destroyed and then abandoned to a Merovingian agglomeration near the present town. Forgotten for centuries, the site was rediscovered in the 19th century by engineer Jean-Baptiste Jollois, who misidentified it as Vellaunodunum. It was only in 1917 that the archivist Jacques Soyer established the link with Aquis Segeste, confirmed in 1973 by the discovery of an ex-voto dedicated to Segeta.
Archaeological excavations, carried out since the 1960s (in particular by Michel Roncin), revealed a complex hydraulic network (aqueduct of 25 km, wooden pipes), votive offerings (stituettes, coins, ex-voto oculars or genitals), and traces of artisanal activities (tablets, bronzemakers, healers). The site, classified as a Historic Monument in 1986, is now partially accessible to the public. An archaeological museum, whose first stone was laid in 2025, was to open in 2027 to exhibit the scattered collections and to enhance this heritage. Visible remains include the nymph, portions of the peribol, and foundations of the theatre, while recent prospections (radar, aerial photographs) have identified fanums and buried residential areas.
The economy of Aquis Segeste was based on therapeutic pilgrimage, trade (sanctuaries, mother-of-pearl or bronze workshops) and local agriculture. The exchanges are attested by ceramics sigillated from Lezoux, marbles from Châtelperron, and coins from Lyon, Trier or Rome. Society, Romanized (as evidenced by the tria nomina of donors), coexisted with Gaulish traditions, such as the Segeta cult. The abandonment of the site in the fifth century coincides with the rise of the medieval village of Seals, where two Merovingian cemeteries were discovered. The stones of the site, reused until the 19th century (church Saint-Saturnin, castle of Courtempierre), preserved its imprint despite the oblivion.
Recent research (2020–2023) confirmed the extent of the agglomeration through geophysical prospecting, revealing an urban grid (80 × 40 m islands) and public thermal baths in the south. The fanum, located north of the sanctuary, still awaits excavations to clarify its architecture and its tutelary divinity (Apollon or Mercury?). The site, managed by the Segeta association, is open at heritage events. Its future development includes a landscape route that materializes the buried monuments, as part of a development project supported by the Ministry of Culture and the municipality.
Announcements
Please log in to post a review