Sequana

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.

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. ==Inscriptions== An analysis of inscriptions found at Sequana's sanctuary show a total of 13 inscriptions, of which at least nine specifically name the goddess. The inscriptions 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 incomprehensible to modern readers. In addition, it would seem that some pilgrims were not well educated or spoke imperfect Latin because many inscriptions are awkwardly formulated. The study also shows an additional mention of Sequana in an inscription found in the village of Salmaise. 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. 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 k w . Something like Sek-ooana is more likely, unless the local dialect was Q-Celtic (which is not impossible). ==References== This article contains some passages that are translations of the francophone Wikipedia page, :fr:Sequana. ==Further reading== Bernard Jacomin (2006) Les sources de la Seine: traces fossiles et repérages astronomiques au pays des Lingons. Editions Yvelinédition Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL); vol. XIII, Inscriptiones trium Galliarum et Germaniarum. 6 vols. Berolini: apud G. Reimerum, 1899–1943 ==External links== A small image of the bronze statue in the Musée archéologique de Dijon believed to represent Sequana

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