BRIVATES PORTUS
BRIVATES PORTUS (
Βριουάτης λιμήν), a place in Gallia, is fixed by Ptolemy (
2.8.1) between the mouth of the
Loire and a river which he calls the Herius, supposed by D'Anville to be the
Vilaine, and by others to be the
Rivière d'Aurai. Accordingly, some geographers place this port at
Brivain near
Croisic, on the coast, in the department of
Morbihan. The resemblance of the name Brivates to
Brest, however, induces D'Anville to suppose that this large bay may be the Brivates of Ptolemy. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive that Ptolemy, with any tolerable materials at hand for the coast of Gallia, should not have found among them the position of
Brest. Walckenaer makes the Gesocribate of the Table to be
Brest. The Table gives a route from Juliomagus (
Angers), through
Nantes, Duretie, Dartoritum, Sulim, and Vorgiun, to Gesocribate. D'Anville supposes that Gesocribate ought to be Gesobrivate.
The distance from
Nantes to Gesocribate is 138 Gallic leagues or 207 M. P.
There is no doubt that the harbour of
Brest is the termination of this road, and as to the difficulty of reconciling all the distances, we cannot be surprised at this in a road along such a coast. Vorgium or Vorganium, the next station to Gesocribate, is placed by some geographers at
Concarneau, on the present road between
Hennebon and
Quimper. [
G.L]
