How to arrive

The Northeast necropolis is more important, extending
from Interpretation Centre till ancient Museum. The
funerary areas are from roman period; even the
greatest number of tombs belongs to visigothic one.
The origin of the Visigothic Basilica reports to a martyr
burial. The building has three aisles and there is a crypt
under the apse. In the central aisle there are several
Episcopal tombs, one of them today reconstructed.
In the hall, the origin and history of the city is explained
through interesting texts on its society, its mining
economy, its main monument, its daily life and its religion.
archaeological park
An illustrated guide book, post cards and other souvenirs,
can help the visitor to remember the old city of Segobriga,
“head of the Celtiberia”.
Archaeological Park of Segóbriga.
Saelices, Cuenca. Km 104 road Madrid – Valencia
Interpretation Centre is adapted to handicapped persons.
INFORMATION
Tel. 629.752.257
e-mail: [email protected]
Timetable:
Winter (1 October to 31 March): Tuesday to Sunday,
from 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM.
Summer (1 April to 30 September) Tuesday to Sunday,
from 10.00 AM to 3.00 PM and from
4.00 PM to 6.00 PM.
Close on Mondays, unless festive.
Acces to Park 45 minutes before closing hours.
Diputación Provincial de Cuenca
C/ Aguirre, nº. 1
16001 Cuenca
DIPUTACIÓN PROVINCIAL DE CUENCA
Segobriga and the archaeological site
Route
The necropolis of Segobriga, as in other roman cities,
is located out of the wall, in the proximity of the roads.
The most monumental cemetery was near “El Yuncal”
drain, in the Northwest side of the city, where some
mausoleums are preserved.
How to arrive
In order to make the visit to Segobriga, more rewarding
and to help the visitor to understand it better, a modern
Interpretation Centre was created at the entrance of the
archaeological park.
Information
Nowadays, in this place it is just preserved a part of a
muslim tower. From here there is a magnificent view, and
the observer can appreciate the topography of the city,
its walls and its water reservoirs.
Interpretation Centre
The Acropolis
The necropolis
and the Visigoth basilica
The summit of the hill on which Segobriga is based had
to be the location of the celtiberic fortress that shall
begun origin to the city. It is protected to the south by the
deep natural trench excavated by the river Gigüela.
When the city was urbanized, it became the acropolis,
where it is supposed to be built a temple dedicated to the
protecting goddess of the city.
Segobriga is one of the best-preserved Roman
cities and the most important archaeological site of
our Spanish Meseta.
Since Ist century A.D. it became a neurological
centre of communication, agricultural and mining
and the administrative capital of a great territory. It
was later abandoned due to the Islamic conquest
of Spain.
Here we can highlight the Roman Amphitheatre
and Theatre, where we can see a very well
preserved gradin, the city Wall and its gates, two
thermal building or Roman Baths, and, above all,
the Forum. From the top of the hill, we can also
enjoy a wonderful view of the city and the
surroundings.
All this monuments can be visited along a signed
route with explanatory posters.
Next to the wall gate laid the latrines, whose little canal
expelled water outside.
.
Its construction began in Augustan time as part of the
program for urbanization of the city. The person who
paid the square pavement was Proculus Spantamicus.
A big inscription with his name in bronze letters
reminds this action, and it was located in front of a
square monument with a statue in the centre of the
Forum.
The basilical Aula
The Forum or square of the city was a rectangular
space place towards the Eastern part of the main
street. It was surrounded by a colonnade supported by
big columns from which people access to the most
emblematic monuments of the city, because this was
the most important social and political centre of
Segobriga.
This basilical Aula was built in Emperor
Vespasian time (69-79 A.D.) and it is located
westward to the main street and opposite the
Forum. The entrance had a big staircase.
The Monumental Baths
The main gate allowed the direct access to the city Forum.
It was built with ashlars masonry and had one or two
arches for carriages and walkers. Underneath we find the
sewers of the city.
There are a changing room with its pigeon holes for
clothes, a dry circular sauna with one basin in the centre
to be cooled with cold water and a sauna with a swimming
pool or bath to the North, with furnace in the lower level.
The Basilica
It had several gates: the main Northern one, another in the
Western part and a third Eastern one next to a big
octagonal tower built near the Theatre.
These baths were built in Augustan time between the
Theatre and the parallel street that runs to the city wall.
They were inspired by Greek Gymnasium, and their
function was to educate young people and bring them
closer to Imperial cult.
To the North of the Crypto-portico and separated by one
street, there is another subterranean c onstruction. It contains
supporting square ashlars that hold the upper floor. A
building with exedra was made at the forum level located
next to the wall.
The Eastern side of Segóbriga’s Forum was occupied by
the civil Basilica, place in which the large commercial
operations were carried out and where the magistrates
dispensed justice.
The Basilica had three naves separated by rows of
columns. It is one of the largest adminis trative buildings of
the city.
It was built at the same time as the Forum, towards 15 B.C.
and lodged in its ends two small temples or ‘aedes’ devoted
to the worship of the emperor and his family. There was an
access to them, by means of three s ections of stairs that
are preserved ‘in situ’ in its Southern s ide.
The Forum
It preserves the orchestra, with three tiers of honour places for
authorities, and the wooden stage. Behind this, there was a
monumental stage scenery decorated with two levels of
columns and marble sculptures. The goddess Roma was
located in the central position.
The Crypto-portico
of the Forum
Segobriga was surrounded by a wall of 1.300 metres. It
was built in Augustan time, when the city became a
Roman municipium.
The well-preserved tiers of seats lie in the cline of the hill and it
was divided in three sections, which, in turn, were sub-divided in
parts to differentiate the inhabitant social classes. The upper
cavea was built on the city Wall, through a vault used as street.
A great crypto-portico was built in front of the main city gate.
It was an underground structure of wide walls that was used
to support one of the Forum porticos which surrounded
Public Square of the city. Inside the Crypto-portico we found
square plinths which were used to support the upper floor.
Possibly it was used as a ‘tabularium’ o city’s archive whose
entrance was built through two symmetric gates from the
main s treet.
The Baths near the Theatre
The Theatre
Two gates led the arena, which is separated of the gradin by a
high podium for spectators protection. A covered corridor
joined the gates and the rooms where wild animals for the
show were stored.
The Theatre was probably started to be constructed in Tiberian
time and was finished with Emperor Vespasian circa 79 A.D.
The city Wall
and the main city gate
The Amphitheatre
The Amphitheatre was built in front of the Theatre, and both
flanked the gate of the city. It has an irregular elliptic form, 75
metres long, which makes it the biggest monument of
Segobriga, with a capacity of 5.500 spectators.
The Monumental Baths were built at the end of the Ist
century A.D., for hygienic reasons but also as places to
spend spare time and for business.
It had three aisles supported by ten Corinthian
columns with fluted shafts. The central one,
wider than the others, ended in a big apse
started with three steps to highlight the central
statue. At the back of the central aisle there was
a bench next to the wall that was used to put
religious and votive offerings.
A stepped street runs to the palestra or colonnade
patio to practice exercises. From here one could go to
the changing room that had a pool in the centre. After
this room successively we find the frigidarium or cold
water room, the tepidarium or tepid water room, that
the caldarium or hot room and, finally, the dry sauna
located under the hermitage of the Virgen de los
Remedios.
In the Northern side, the rooms were used by workers
to store wood for the furnaces for warming up water.