LE BOSSENO Finistère, France.
This luxurious villa near Carnac is one of the rare houses of this type of which we know the general plan. It was excavated in the 19th c. but only a few traces remain today. The huge complex was erected in the second half of the 2d c. A.D., flourished in the first half of the 4th c., then vanished completely around the beginning of the 5th c.There are three distinct parts. To the E is the owner's house, a large rectangle with walls built of mortared rubble faced with small blocks with alternating bands of brick. This building is divided into two sections: the house proper, consisting of 11 rooms decorated with frescos, and a small bath building. To the NW, on the other side of a central courtyard, is a square sanctuary with a cella and ambulatory. To the SW and SE are two far simpler complexes, probably the farm buildings of the estate. The whole area was originally ringed with a protective circuit wall, now apparent as a bank of earth with a vallum. The wall was probably built towards the end of the 4th c. for defensive purposes.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
J. Miln, Fouilles faites à Carnac (1887); L. Pape, Documents d'Histoire de Bretagne (1971).M. PETIT