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The Coriosolites or Curiosolitae were a Gauls people dwelling on the northern coast of present-day Brittany during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
The etymology of the ethnonym Coriosolites remains uncertain. The first element is certainly the Gaulish language root corio- ('army, troop'), derived from Proto-Indo-European * kóryos ('army, people under arms'). However, the meaning of the second element is unclear. Pierre-Yves Lambert has proposed to interpret corio-solit-es as 'those who purchase (or sell) mercenaries', by positing a Gaulish stem solitu- ('purchase/salary of mercenaries'; cf. Gaul. soldurio- < *soliturio- 'body-guard, loyal, devoted', Old Breton solt 'solidus'). Alternatively, a connection with the Gaulish stem sūli- ('good sight'; cf. Old Irish súil, 'sight', Britt. Sulis) has also been conjectured, with corio-soli-tes as the 'troop-watchers', 'those who watch over the troop'.
The city of Corseul, attested ca. 400 AD as civitas Coriosolitum ('civitas of the Curiosolites', Aecclesia Corsult ca. 869, Corsout in 1288) is named after the Gallic tribe.
]] The Coriosolites are mentioned by Caesar together with the Veneti, Unelli, Osismi, and others that Caesar calls maritimae civitates, "maritime cities", which border on the Atlantic Ocean.Caesar, B. G. ii. 34. Elsewhere he describes the position of the Coriosolites on the ocean in the same terms, and includes them among the Armorica states, a name equivalent to maritimae.Caesar, B. G. vii. 75. Pliny mentions them with the Unelli, Diablindi, and Rhedones.
Around 340 AD, the capital of the civitas was moved to Aleth (Saint-Servan), situated on the coast.
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