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Key figures

Origin and history

The archaeological site of Corseul, located in the Côtes-d'Armor in Brittany, is a protohistoric and Gallo-Roman complex with an area of nearly 100 hectares at its peak. Occupied at the end of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, it became the administrative and religious capital of the Coriosolites, a Gaulish people quoted by Julius Caesar. In the Gallo-Roman era, the city, named Fanum Martis ("Mars Temple"), is attested on the Puisinger's Table and is gradually declining from the beginning of the Christian era.

The excavations revealed major remains, including the shrine dedicated to Mars at the Haut-Bécherel, classified as a Historic Monument in 1840. This octagonal temple, built in the 1st century AD, was surrounded by a sacred set of one hectare. Other discoveries include domus (such as Clos-Mulon), thermal baths, a column dedicated to Jupiter, and a necropolis of the Lower Empire at Courtil Saint-Antoine. These remains illustrate the planned urbanization under Augustus and the religious and political importance of the city.

Monterfil, east of Corseul, has delivered remarkable archaeological furniture, including sigillated ceramics decorated with unique motifs (hunting scenes, gladiators, plant motifs). A Roman road, linking Fanum Martis to Tours (Cæsarodunum), crosses the site, confirming its role as a regional hub. Prospects also revealed mussels, bronze ex-votos (such as a Harpocrat), and burial graves dated to the early Middle Ages.

Toponymy evolves with the decline of the Roman Empire: Fanum Martis became Corsicaul in the third–fourth centuries, reflecting a resurgence of local Gaulish identities. The site, which has been searched since the 19th century, has successive protections (classifications of 1840 and 1997). Archaeological reserves, such as Monterfil (registered in 1995), preserve the remains of artisanal buildings, roads, and infrastructure dating from the 1st to the 4th century.

Archeometric analyses revealed original construction techniques, such as the "digitated marks" on the bricks of the tombs of Courtil Saint-Antoine. These details, combined with Latin inscriptions and artifacts (currency, voting objects), testify to a dynamic Gallo-Roman society, mixing local traditions and Roman influences. Corseul's decline is part of a broader transformation of city capitals into late Gaul.

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