An early imperial baths in the roman villa of Casas de Luján. Segobriga (Saelices, Cuenca)

Abstract

The roman villa of Casas de Lujan is located 3km from Segóbriga, Cuenca, and it was discovered in 2010 along with five others roman villas. Among the remains could be identified a pottery workshop, an oil-mill and part of a bathhouse belonging to the domus, on which the present communication is focus. The bathrooms have a praefurnium, a tepidarium, a caldarium and a natatio that could be partially excavated. In the hot room a bichrome mosaic was found, already partly reused. Its characteristics would allow us to date the first construction of these structures in the first quarter of the I century A.D. The excavated remains correspond to the destructions of the buildings that occurred towards the ends of the I century A.D. when reforms were been made in the natatio. These baths are one of the few examples found in the Spanish central plateau.