Site gallo-romain des Boissières
MonumentHidden Treasure
Site gallo-romain des Boissières, located in Taden (Département 22), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Taden, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4751, -2.0086
- Mérimée Reference
- PA22000013
In the heart of Roman Brittany, Les Boissières reveals an exceptional Gallo-Roman vicus: commercial warehouses and a monumental 96-metre façade bear witness to a prosperous settlement on the Corseul-Avranches road.
History
Hidden away beneath the lush green fields of Taden, on the outskirts of Dinan, the Gallo-Roman site of Les Boissières is one of the most significant archaeological sites on the Armorican peninsula. Listed as a Historic Monument since 2000, it offers a fascinating insight into the daily and economic life of Roman Gaul, far from the major cities but at the crossroads of regional trade. What distinguishes Les Boissières from an ordinary site is the density and coherence of its remains. Eleven archaeological sites have been identified in this area, but the Boissières complex stands out for the scale of its main building: a monumental façade measuring 96 metres long and 46 metres wide, dimensions that evoke the great port or commercial warehouses of the Empire. This functional and imposing architecture betrays an intense economic activity, probably linked to the transit of goods between the interior and the ports on the Brittany coast. A visit to the site is as much an exercise in imagination as it is in archaeological contemplation. The ground-level remains - foundations, traces of walls, fragments of tegulae - trace the outline of a small Roman town in activity, with its warehouses, internal roads and, no doubt, its living spaces. The attentive walker can mentally reconstruct the silhouettes of local stone and wattle-and-daub buildings, bustling with the comings and goings of traders and craftsmen. The natural setting adds an extra dimension to the experience: the nearby Rance, the hedged farmland of Taden and the immediate proximity of the medieval city of Dinan create a fascinating geographical palimpsest, where two millennia of human history are superimposed in the same landscape. The Boissières site is a reminder that the Dinan area was inhabited and structured long before the first stones of its medieval ramparts.
Architecture
The architecture of the Boissières site is based on the Gallo-Roman provincial building tradition, adapted to the local resources and climatic requirements of Armorique. The main building, with a façade 96 metres long and 46 metres wide, is a monumental achievement for a rural setting. These dimensions are comparable to those of the large horrea (warehouses) found in the major vici of northern Gaul, with an interior layout probably divided into aisles or bays for the organised storage of goods. The materials used were in keeping with local Armorican Romanisation practices: foundations in granite or local sandstone, elevations in lime-bonded rubble, perhaps supplemented by sections of wood and cob for the secondary partitions. The roofs were covered with tegulae and imbrices, the flat, round tiles characteristic of the Roman technique, fragments of which are one of the most widespread archaeological clues on the site. The complex is organised according to an orthogonal plan typical of Roman town planning, with buildings aligned along the street and distinct functional areas. The monumental façade of the large building suggests a desire for architectural display that is rare in a rural setting, perhaps linked to the special status of the establishment or the presence of an administrative or commercial authority overseeing regional trade.
Related Figures
Ingénieurs et arpenteurs romains ayant tracé la voie Corseul-Avranches au Ier siècle av. J.-C.Marchands et negotiatores gallo-romains animant les entrepôts du vicus aux Ier-IIIe sièclesMagistrats de Corseul (Fanum Martis) supervisant l'organisation territoriale des CoriosolitesArchéologues de la Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles de Bretagne ayant conduit les prospections du XXe siècle
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Site gallo-romain des Boissières located?
Site gallo-romain des Boissières is located in Taden, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Site gallo-romain des Boissières open to visitors?
Site gallo-romain des Boissières is currently closed to visitors.