Castellum of Brest and the defense of the Armorican peninsula during late antiquity.
PURennes| N° d'inventaire | 19183 |
| Format | 21.5 x 28 |
| Détails | 220 p., color and black and white illustrations, paperback |
| Publication | Rennes, 2015 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | |
Identified since at least the end of the 16th century, the ancient remains still visible at the base of the walls of Brest Castle are those of a large castellum from Late Antiquity. These elements (curtains, towers) had, until now, only been the subject of cursory examination, largely hampered, it is true, by the presence of a military zone (Maritime Prefecture) inside the enclosure. The precise study of the preserved structures now makes it possible to offer a plausible reconstruction of the layout of the fortification and its elevations and to show how it fitted into its immediate and more distant environment. Since the castellum of Brest (Osismis?) was not an isolated fortress, it was necessary to also examine in detail the location and organization of the other coastal strongholds of Gaul and insular Britain, so that their exact function could be determined. It thus appears quite clearly that the purely defensive role against landings of "pirates - moreover poorly defined - that was attributed to them until recently is not enough to explain their geographical distribution and their topographical situation, and that, initially at least, these places were associated with the collection, protection and transport of military annona. It was undoubtedly only quite late, due to the rise of dangers, that they saw their defensive role increase. It was long thought that, in the Armorican peninsula as elsewhere in Gaul and insular Britain, this fortified system had been completed by the establishment of allogeneic communities, Breton and Germanic. The detailed examination of the remains and furniture that were thought to be associated with them shows that this is not the case and that the evolution of towns and rural habitats only responds to the sole mutation of the Romanized elites in a time of military and social crisis.
Identified since at least the end of the 16th century, the ancient remains still visible at the base of the walls of Brest Castle are those of a large castellum from Late Antiquity. These elements (curtains, towers) had, until now, only been the subject of cursory examination, largely hampered, it is true, by the presence of a military zone (Maritime Prefecture) inside the enclosure. The precise study of the preserved structures now makes it possible to offer a plausible reconstruction of the layout of the fortification and its elevations and to show how it fitted into its immediate and more distant environment. Since the castellum of Brest (Osismis?) was not an isolated fortress, it was necessary to also examine in detail the location and organization of the other coastal strongholds of Gaul and insular Britain, so that their exact function could be determined. It thus appears quite clearly that the purely defensive role against landings of "pirates - moreover poorly defined - that was attributed to them until recently is not enough to explain their geographical distribution and their topographical situation, and that, initially at least, these places were associated with the collection, protection and transport of military annona. It was undoubtedly only quite late, due to the rise of dangers, that they saw their defensive role increase. It was long thought that, in the Armorican peninsula as elsewhere in Gaul and insular Britain, this fortified system had been completed by the establishment of allogeneic communities, Breton and Germanic. The detailed examination of the remains and furniture that were thought to be associated with them shows that this is not the case and that the evolution of towns and rural habitats only responds to the sole mutation of the Romanized elites in a time of military and social crisis.