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Sequana

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Sequana
Goddess of the Seine and of healing
Modern sculpture of Sequana executed by Paul Auban in 1934
Venerated inNorthern France by Gaulish tribes and Gallo-Romans after the Conquest of Gaul
SymbolWater
TempleNorthern Burgundy at the source of the Seine River

In Gallo-Roman religion, Sequana is the goddess of the river Seine, particularly the springs at the source of the Seine. Although the origins of the goddess are Celtic, Sequana was subsequently integrated into a Gallo-Roman regional cult of worship after the Roman conquest of Gaul. The main sites dedicated to her are found in northern Burgundy, especially at the source of the Seine, where archeological excavations have unearthed a temple complex and over a thousand votive offerings.

Cult, religion and oracles

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The cult of Sequana is closely linked to a primary element: water. Indeed, the sacredness of water is central to the veneration of Sequana, who was also a goddess of healing. [1][2][3] The main sanctuary was located at the source of the Seine River, north-west of Dijon in the Burgundy region. These springs, are called the Fontes Sequanae (the Springs of Sequana). It was here, in the 2nd or 1st century BCE, that a healing shrine was built by Celts. After the conquest of Gaul, the sanctuary was taken over by the Romans, who built two temples, a colonnaded precinct and other related structures centred on the spring and pool.

A study of the Gallo-Roman religious sanctuaries in the region states that they "were the object of considerable investments despite their generally remote locations relative to the main urban/political centres."[4] Sequana's sanctuary in what is now northern Burgundy was a rural region, with a fairly dense farming population. Because of this relative remoteness and based on evidence found during excavations, archeologists posit that devotees went on pilgrimages to this sanctuary in order to solicit Sequana's help to restore health or to thank her for past assistance. The study notes that it has been possible to identify from inscriptions the social roles of a few of the visitors to the sanctuary. They include a slave, a male 'citizen' and several women (including four 'pilgrims' and a female 'citizen').[4]

The concrete expression of devotees' belief in Sequana's divine power was their presence at the sanctuary and the tribute they offered there.[2] Excavations conducted from 1836 to 1967 at the site of the sanctuary unearthed a temple complex and some 1,500 stone, bronze, and wood votive offerings.[3] Notably, archeologists found a large pot inscribed with Sequana's name and filled with bronze and silver sculptures of human body parts. Wooden images were also found nearby as well as stone images of limbs, internal organs, heads, and complete bodies. Archeologists hypothesize that these votive offerings depicted injuries or illnesses that would hopefully be healed or cured through the divine intervention of the goddess.[5] Based on the offerings, respiratory illnesses and eye diseases appear to have been common. Also found were numerous coins and items of jewellery. Pilgrims were frequently depicted in the small sculptures as carrying offerings to the goddess, including money, fruit, or a favourite pet dog or bird.[5] The large number of votive offerings found at the site suggests that pilgrims must have been numerous.[4]

Archeologists also believe, based on an inscription that mentions the goddess, that oracular practices were offered at the site, either by Sequana herself or by invoking her (as at the Temple of Clitumnus, a sanctuary dedicated to another river god in northern Italy).[6]

Representations

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Bronze statue of the Gallo-Roman goddess Sequana found at the site of her sanctuary in northern Burgundy and now housed in the archaeological museum at Dijon
Another view of the bronze statue of Sequana found in her sanctuary at the source of the Seine

A bronze statue of a woman, draped in a long gown and with a diadem on her head, represents Sequana.[7] She stands on a boat, the prow of which is in the form of the head of a duck with a ball in its mouth. The approximately 1 foot (30 cm) tall statue is now in the Musée archéologique de Dijon. The statue was found with that of a faun in 1933 by Henri Corot.[8]

In 1864, the city of Paris bought the land surrounding the source of the Seine in order to build a park that would honour the river that is of such importance to the city. Under the impetus of Baron Haussmann, the city created the park the following year and erected an artificial cave intended to protect the site. Also placed within the source itself was a statue of Sequana by the Dijon sculptor François Jouffroy. The original, quite damaged by the elements, was replaced in 1934 by a copy made by Paul Auban.[9]

Inscriptions

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An analysis of inscriptions found at Sequana's sanctuary[4] show a total of 13 inscriptions, of which at least nine specifically name the goddess. The inscription also shed of some light on religious practices at the site. One inscription notes the presence of a sacerdoce Augusti, a priest of the imperial cult dedicated to the worship of the Roman emperors. Mentions of Auguste are common, but often incompréhensible to modern readers. In addition, it would seem that some pilgrims were not well educated or spoke imperfect Latin because many inscriptions are awkwardly worded or are spelled incorrectly. The study also shows an additional mention of Sequana in an inscription found in the village of Salmaise.[4]

The list below reproduces selected inscriptions from an inventory of Gallo-Roman inscriptions collected by the Commission de Topographie des Gaules under Napoleon III and housed in the Archeological Museum of Strasbourg. The identification numbers refer to their placement within the collection, the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum.[10]

The following are typical inscriptions (CIL 13, 02858):

Au(gusto) sac(rum) d(eae) Sequan(ae) e[x] / moni[tu]

and (CIL 13, 02862):

Aug(usto) sac(rum) / d(e)ae Seq(uanae) / Fl(avius) Flav(i)n(us) / pro sal(ute) / Fl(avi) Luna(ris) / nep(otis) sui / ex voto / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito)/ San(tos) Mi(chaelle)

Some inscriptions contain spelling errors that may give a clue to the pronunciation of Sequana in Gaulish (CIL 13, 02863):

Aug(usto) sac(rum) d<e=O>a(e?) / <p=B>ro(!) / Se<q=C>uan(ae) / pro(!) / C(aius) M[...] / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito)

As Gaulish is in the P-Celtic classification, q cannot represent the Indo-European kw. Something like Sek-ooana is more likely, unless the local dialect was Q-Celtic (which is not impossible).

References

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  • This article contains some passages that are translations of the francophone Wikipedia page, fr:Sequana.
  1. ^ Vurpillot, D. (2016). Les sanctuaires des eaux en Gaule de l'est : origine, organisation et évolution (Ier siècle av. J.-C. - IVe siècle après J.-C.). Vol. 1. p. 342.
  2. ^ a b Vurpillot (2016). Les sanctuaires des eaux en Gaule de l'est : origine, organisation et évolution (Ier siècle av. J.-C. - IVe siècle après J.-C.). Vol. 1. p. 188.
  3. ^ a b "Le sanctuaire des Sources de la Seine | Musée Archéologique". archeologie.dijon.fr. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e Raepsaet-Charlier, Marie-Thérèse (2013). "Alésia et ses dieux : du culte d'Apollon Moritasgos à l'appartenance civique des Mandubiens à l'époque gallo-romaine". L'Antiquité Classique. 82 (1): 165–194. doi:10.3406/antiq.2013.3831.
  5. ^ a b "Meet the ancient goddess of the Seine River: Sequana". History. 2024-09-21. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  6. ^ Vurpillot, D. (2013). Les sanctuaires des eaux en Gaule de l'est : origine, organisation et évolution (Ier siècle av. J.-C. - IVe siècle après J.-C.). Vol. 1. p. 392.
  7. ^ Deyts, Simone (1992). Images des Dieux de la Gaule. Paris: Editions Errance. p. 74. ISBN 2-87772-067-5.
  8. ^ Corot, H. (1933). Fouilles du temple de la dea Sequana, Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. Vol. 77. pp. 290–292.
  9. ^ "La Ville de Paris devient propriétaire des Sources de la Seine – Académie des Sciences, Arts et Belles-lettres de Dijon". www.academie-sabl-dijon.org. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  10. ^ "Commission de la Topographie des Gaules". musee-archeologienationale.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-22.

Further reading

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