Wall unearthed in central Paris may reveal capital's original settlement

The discovery of an ancient wall in central Paris could help resolve a long-running debate over the location of the city’s original settlement.

French archaeologists described the find as a “major breakthrough”, with the country’s culture minister announcing the discovery on September 23 during a visit to the site, as covered by French media outlets.

A roughly 20-meter-long wall dating to the Gallo-Roman period was uncovered this summer beneath the Hotel-Dieu hospital on the Ile de la Cite, just a short distance from Notre Dame Cathedral, the French Culture Ministry said.

The Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame stands, is the largest island in the Seine in the Paris region and became the centre of the Roman settlement known as Lutetia.

“It’s dizzying to find oneself here and to discover what is probably the origin of the city of Paris,” Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said after examining the wall with the culture minister.

The stone-and-wood structure is believed to be part of the ramparts of Lutetia, the ancient name for Paris, which were built by the Gallic Parisii tribe that lived along the Seine during the Iron Age.

The Ile de la Cite has traditionally been considered the centre of Lutetia. However, another theory supported by archaeological research places the settlement in Nanterre, a western suburb of modern Paris.

“We may be looking at one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia,” Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said in a statement, describing the find as “a major breakthrough.”

“Scientific caution still requires that we verify its function and its chronology, but the convergence of evidence is particularly remarkable at this stage.”

Lutetia was first mentioned in Book Seven of Julius Caesar’s “Gallic Wars,” where the Roman leader described it as being located on an island in the Seine and connected by bridges. The vague description has led to numerous theories about the settlement’s precise location.

The wall was discovered during excavations beneath the Hotel-Dieu hospital and also contains traces of fire. The evidence could correspond to Caesar’s account that the Gauls burned their town before the Battle of Lutetia against the Romans.

According to the ministry, carbon dating of the charred material places it between 10 and 200 BC, a period that includes the Battle of Lutetia in 52 BC.

By Nazrin Sadigova