An excavation in modern-day Melun, located about 40 kilometers southeast of Paris, uncovered remains of the ancient city of Metlosedum, which was strategically situated on a meander of the Seine and during Roman times belonged to the civitas of the Senones, whose center was in present-day Sens—a crucial area within the urban and territorial network of Roman Gaul.

During the Roman period, Metlosedum developed on both sides of the Seine, in a fertile zone between the Brie and Gâtinais plateaus, and at a crossroads of land routes and waterways. Although it was not an administrative capital, the city occupied a strategic position in the northwestern edge of Senones territory, bordering other civitates such as the Meldes (around Meaux), the Parisii (in what is now Paris), and the Carnutes (whose main cities were Chartres and Orléans). Between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE, urban development was mainly concentrated on the island of Saint-Étienne and the left bank of the river.

The excavation is located at the intersection of two major axes of the ancient city: an east-west street, the decumanus, beneath today’s rue de Belle Ombre, and a north-south road, the cardo, which partially coincides with rue de Dammarie. Additionally, a second cardo ran to the west, although it has not been preserved in the modern urban layout. Several segments of this road were identified in both the current campaign and previous interventions, confirming its importance in ancient urban planning.

Metlosedum senones gaul
Drone view of the excavations at Metlosedum. Credit: Hamid Azmoun / Inrap

Remains of a Roman Domus

Among the finds is a large rectangular building oriented north-south, with an estimated surface area of at least 700 square meters, located west of the investigated area. Although most of its structure was dismantled already in antiquity, some sections of stone foundations bonded with lime mortar still survive, allowing for a partial reconstruction of its layout.

Its length reaches 28 meters and it appears to have been organized around a large central courtyard that opened onto the cardo, indicating it was a domus, that is, a stately urban residence, similar to another discovered in Melun in 2008, at Lucien-Auvert Square.

At its northwestern end, archaeologists identified an impressive subterranean cellar preserved to a depth of 2.20 meters, with well-built walls and features such as a vent, wall niches, and a three-flight staircase with two landings. Among the remains is a reused plain column fragment integrated into the structure, suggesting both wealth and architectural adaptation.

Metlosedum senones gaul
A 2.20 m deep cellar has been preserved, accessed by a double quarter-turn staircase composed of three flights of steps and two landings. On the first landing, a small smooth column drum was found with a shroud on its waiting bed and another on its laying bed. Credit: Hamid Azmoun / Inrap

About forty meters to the east, a second building complex of around 600 square meters was discovered. Despite damage caused by modern infrastructure such as pipes and underground networks, significant elements have been identified, including an excavated room still under study, a possible combustion feature built with tegulae (flat Roman roof tiles), and a ceramic water conduit. The presence of these elements could indicate the existence of a kitchen or domestic space in this area.

Both built areas are separated by open zones containing various excavated structures such as storage pits, small unlined cellars, and up to eight ancient wells lined with rough limestone. The entire complex forms a dense urban fabric, with an articulation of residential and service spaces, although no specific artisanal activity has been documented so far.

Given the fragmentary state of the remains, it is not yet possible to determine whether the two sectors belonged to separate buildings or whether, on the contrary, they were part of a single large-scale residential complex, whose area would exceed 2,000 square meters.

Alongside these Roman-era finds, the excavation also revealed a set of zigzag defensive trenches dug during World War II. These structures, created in the schoolyard for civil protection during air raids, were partially documented, with even a military helmet of the Adrian type, model 1926, being found.

SOURCES

Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (Inrap)

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