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Origin and history

The Roman baths of Aix-en-Provence, known as Aquae Sextiae ("Waters of Sextius"), are mentioned by ancient historians such as Strabon, Pline and Tite Live. Their thermal use seems to be later than that of Glanum, another Roman city in the region. Several sites have been identified or suspected, notably near the Palais (source des Bagniers) and in the rue des Ouves, where a swimming pool for 40 people has been discovered, although its exact use (tank or bath) remains uncertain.

The most documented site is the Baths of Observance, identified in 1704 during excavations revealing Roman foundations and a hot water source. An engraved stone of the initials I.H.C. (interpreted as Iuvant Hae Conjugiis or In Hortorum Custodiam) was discovered there in 1705. The modern spas of Aix were built on these remains, with a rotunda protecting the source, accessible free of charge to the poorest. Subsequent works (1770, 1803) confirmed their ancient origin, revealing walls, spherical vaults and typical Roman symmetrical constructions.

Other thermal facilities probably existed north and southwest of the current thermal baths, but their exact location remains hypothetical. The Bagniers district, often cited by local historians such as Alexandre de Fauris de Saint-Vincens (1818), did not archaeologically confirm the presence of baths. The Roman baths of Aix thus illustrate the importance of hot springs in urban planning and social life of the city, from ancient times to the Middle Ages.

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