Curiosolitae
Encyclopedia
The Curiosolites or Curiosolitae, were a people in the modern geographical area of Brittany
in Celtica
who are mentioned by Julius Caesar
several times (B. G.
ii. 34, iii. 7, 11, vii. 75).
The name only occurs in the accusative form, and as there are variations in the manuscripts, the nominative is not quite certain. They are mentioned (B. G. ii. 34) with the Veneti
, Unelli
, Osismi, and others that Caesar calls, maritimae civitates, and border on the Atlantic Ocean
. In another place (B. G. vii. 75) he describes the position of the Curiosolitae on the ocean in the same terms, and includes them among the Armoric
states, a name equivalent to maritimae. The name occurs in Pliny
(iv. 18) in the form "Cariosvelites"; and he mentions them with the Unelli, Diablindi, and Rhedones. The Curiosolitae are not mentioned by Ptolemy
. No city of these people is mentioned, and the Itineraries give no roads in this part of Brittany
. Accordingly we can only conjecture their position, which is determined with some probability to be the diocese of St. Malo, the only place that remains for them after fixing the position of the other Armoric nations. The name seems to be preserved in Corseult, a village between Dinan
and Lamballe
, where there are the remains of an old Roman
town. We may conclude that, after the fashion of Gallic names, Corseult represents the capital of the Curiosolitae. D'Anville supposes that on the coast they extended west to the neighborhood of St. Brieuc, where a place called Finiac denotes the boundary of an ancient territory, as the name Fines or Fins denotes in other parts of Gallia. The neighbors of the Curiosolitae on the east were the Rhedones, and on the south the Veneti. On the west were the Osismi or Osismii, who occupied the extremity of the peninsula of Brittany. But Walckenaer places, between the Osismi and the Curiosolitae, the Biducasii of Ptolemy, in the diocese of St. Bidué or St. Brieuc; whom he distinguishes from the Viducasses
. (D'Anville, Notice, &c.; Walckenaer, Géographie ancienne, historique et comparée des Gaules, vol. i. p. 381.)
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
in Celtica
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
who are mentioned by Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
several times (B. G.
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
ii. 34, iii. 7, 11, vii. 75).
The name only occurs in the accusative form, and as there are variations in the manuscripts, the nominative is not quite certain. They are mentioned (B. G. ii. 34) with the Veneti
Veneti (Gaul)
The Veneti were a seafaring Celtic people who lived in the Brittany peninsula , which in Roman times formed part of an area called Armorica...
, Unelli
Unelli
The Unelli or Veneli were one of the Armoric or maritime states of Gallia. Caesar mentions them with the Veneti, Osismi, Curiosolitae, and other maritime states...
, Osismi, and others that Caesar calls, maritimae civitates, and border on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. In another place (B. G. vii. 75) he describes the position of the Curiosolitae on the ocean in the same terms, and includes them among the Armoric
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
states, a name equivalent to maritimae. The name occurs in Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
(iv. 18) in the form "Cariosvelites"; and he mentions them with the Unelli, Diablindi, and Rhedones. The Curiosolitae are not mentioned by Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
. No city of these people is mentioned, and the Itineraries give no roads in this part of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. Accordingly we can only conjecture their position, which is determined with some probability to be the diocese of St. Malo, the only place that remains for them after fixing the position of the other Armoric nations. The name seems to be preserved in Corseult, a village between Dinan
Dinan
Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...
and Lamballe
Lamballe
Lamballe is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.It lies on the Gouessant east-southeast of Saint-Brieuc by rail.- History :...
, where there are the remains of an old Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
town. We may conclude that, after the fashion of Gallic names, Corseult represents the capital of the Curiosolitae. D'Anville supposes that on the coast they extended west to the neighborhood of St. Brieuc, where a place called Finiac denotes the boundary of an ancient territory, as the name Fines or Fins denotes in other parts of Gallia. The neighbors of the Curiosolitae on the east were the Rhedones, and on the south the Veneti. On the west were the Osismi or Osismii, who occupied the extremity of the peninsula of Brittany. But Walckenaer places, between the Osismi and the Curiosolitae, the Biducasii of Ptolemy, in the diocese of St. Bidué or St. Brieuc; whom he distinguishes from the Viducasses
Viducasses
The Viducasses or Viducassii were a Celtic people in Gallia Lugdunensis. The name derives from vidu and casse . The capital of the Viducasses was at Araegenus or Araegenue of the Table, appearing elsewhere as Aragenuae, which was the site of modern-day Vieux.Pliny mentions them before the...
. (D'Anville, Notice, &c.; Walckenaer, Géographie ancienne, historique et comparée des Gaules, vol. i. p. 381.)