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Origin and history

The "milestone" of Cenon-sur-Vienne, also known as the terminal of the Tramway Station, is in fact a Gallo-Roman leugary terminal dated from the 2nd century, period of the High Empire. This cylindrical stone block, whose upper end forms a cube, has been partially ejected to serve as a sarcophagus, but its Latin inscription remains legible. It is kept in the hall of the town hall of Cenon-sur-Vienne, in the department of Vienna (New Aquitaine).

This terminal marked a Roman route from Limonum (Poitiers) to Cæsarodunum (Tours), 42 Gaulo leagues long (about 102 km). Discovered in 1928 in a funeral complex, it was reused as a sarcophagus after a spolia. A similar second terminal, with an almost identical inscription, was discovered in the 1960s at the same archaeological site. Both points mention the term "Fine", suggesting a link with the Old Poitiers, a Gallo-Roman site.

The Latin inscription, dated 123 A.D., evokes Emperor Hadrian (76–138) and confirms the belonging of the boundary to the Pictone civitas, the Gaulish people of the Poitevin region. The distances, calculated in Gallic leagues from Poitiers, attest to its role in the Roman ancient network. The terminal has been listed as a historic monument since April 26, 1938, recognizing its heritage value.

His epigraphic analysis reveals three key elements: a geographical confirmation of the Poitiers-Tours route (attested by the Puisinger table), a precise dating under Hadrian, and a metric specificity specific to Pictones. The use of Gallic leagues, rather than Roman miles, distinguishes these boundaries from classical miles. Their funeral re-use also illustrates the recycling practices of materials in late antiquity.

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