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Origin and history

The archaeological site of the Clos-Mulon in Corsicaul, Brittany, is part of the former Gallo-Roman city of Fanum Martis, the administrative and religious capital of the Coriosolites, a Gaulish people mentioned by Julius Caesar. The site was occupied at the end of the Neolithic period and reached its peak under the Roman Empire, covering nearly 100 hectares. The excavations exhumed a domus of 840 m2 built under Emperor Claude (41-54 AD), replaced at the end of the third century by larger thermal baths. These remains, classified as historical monuments in 1990 and 2000, bear witness to Roman urban planning and the Romanization of Armoric.

The domus du Clos-Mulon, located 100 metres from the centre of the village, probably belonged to a notable coriosolite which received its clientele there. His plan follows a grid typical of the Roman insulae. In the third century, the building was transformed into a thermal complex, reflecting the evolution of social and hygienic practices. The site, rehabilitated in 2014, offers a rare overview of the domestic and public architecture of a secondary Gallo-Roman city, before its decline at the dawn of the Middle Ages.

Corseul, originally called Fanum Martis ("Mars temple"), is attested on the Table of Puisinger. Its toponym evolves in the third–fourth centuries to adopt the name of the Gallic people, marking a resurgence of local identities in the face of the weakening of Rome. The excavations also revealed graves, ex-votos (such as statuettes from Harpocrate), and mussels, confirming its economic and religious role. The Jupiter column, discovered in the 19th century, and the remains of a Roman way to Tours underline its integration into imperial networks.

Corseul's decline began in the Lower Empire, with the gradual abandonment of public monuments. The necropolis of Courtil Saint-Antoine, used until the early Middle Ages, illustrates this transition. The digitized marks on grave bricks suggest local artisanal practices. Despite its political erasure, the site remains a key milestone in understanding the Romanization of Brittany and the cultural dynamics between Gaul and Romans.

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