The Coriosolites or Curiosolitae were a group of people from Gaul. They lived on the northern coast of modern-day Brittany during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

Name

The names Coriosolitas (var. coriosolitos, curiosolitas, curiosolitas) and Coriosolites (var. coriosultes, coricoriosuelites, cariosu-) are recorded by Caesar (around the middle of the 1st century BCE), and Coriosvelites is mentioned by Pliny (1st century CE).

The origin of the name Coriosolites is not fully understood. The first part of the name, "corio-," comes from the Gaulish language and means "army" or "troop," based on the Proto-Indo-European word *kóryos, which also meant "army" or "people under arms." The meaning of the second part, however, is unclear. Pierre-Yves Lambert suggests that "corio-solit-es" might mean "those who buy or sell mercenaries," linking it to the Gaulish word "solitu-" (related to "purchase" or "salary for mercenaries"). This idea is supported by similar words in other languages, such as "soldurio-" (meaning "bodyguard") and "solt" (a type of coin). Another possibility is that "sūli-" (meaning "sight") is part of the name, which could make "corio-soli-tes" mean "those who watch over the troop."

The city of Corseul, known as "civitas Coriosolitum" (the city of the Curiosolites) around 400 AD, was named after the Gallic tribe. It was also called "Aecclesia Corsult" around 869 AD and "Corsout" in 1288 AD.

Geography

The Coriosolites are mentioned by Caesar along with the Veneti, Unelli, Osismi, and others, whom Caesar refers to as maritimae civitates, or "maritime cities," located near the Atlantic Ocean. Caesar also describes the Coriosolites as living near the ocean and groups them with the Armoric states, a term similar to "maritime cities." Pliny the Elder later mentions the Coriosolites alongside the Unelli, Diablindi, and Rhedones.

The ancient settlement of Corseul was likely founded by Roman officials during the time of Augustus as the capital of the civitas Coriosolitum. This town is usually linked to the settlement called Fanum Martis, meaning "temple of Mars," which appears on the Tabula Peutingeriana, a map from the 5th century AD. However, because there are no early written records, the original Gaulish name of the town is unknown. Corseul grew to cover about 47 hectares during the first centuries of the Common Era.

Around 340 AD, the capital of the civitas was relocated to Aleth (Saint-Servan), a coastal town.