An ancient wall discovered beneath Paris has been hailed as a “major breakthrough” by France’s culture ministry, potentially confirming the location of the city’s original settlement. A roughly 20-metre (65ft) stretch of wall dating from the Gallo-Roman period was uncovered this summer beneath a building on the Île de la Cité, near Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital.
Discovery Details
The stone-and-wood structure is believed to be a fragment of the ramparts of Lutetia – the ancient name for Paris – built by the Gallic Parisii tribe who inhabited the area along the River Seine during the Iron Age. The Île de la Cité has traditionally been regarded as the center of Lutetia, although a rival theory, supported by some archaeological research, suggests that the original settlement was located in Nanterre, a suburb to the west.
