Paris dig uncovers ancient wall linking city to Celtic tribe
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French authorities in Paris discovered a roughly twenty-meter section of a Gallo-Roman wall beneath the Hôtel-Dieu hospital on the Île de la Cité, a central island in the city.
The excavation began in February during renovations of the hospital. Archaeologists believe the stone and wood wall may be part of the fortifications of Lutetia, the settlement of the Parisii tribe described by Julius Caesar in 52 BC.
Caesar’s account identified Lutetia as an island town connected by bridges on a bend in the Seine river. Until now, experts had not confirmed this location, with some suggesting Nanterre as the site of the original settlement. Catherine Pégard, the Minister of Culture, stated that evidence strongly suggests the wall’s connection to the ancient town, though scientists will need to verify its exact function and age.
The team also found evidence of a fire that aligns with historical accounts of the Parisii burning their own structures before fighting the Romans. Carbon dating of the materials places the wall’s construction between 200 and 10 BC.
