Two Thousand Years Ago, Julius Caesar Conquered the Settlement That Eventually Became Paris. Archaeologists May Have Just Found It

Archaeologists in Paris have discovered the remains of an ancient wall that may have formed part of the city’s original settlement. The discovery, announced by France’s Ministry of Culture on September 23, could settle the longstanding debate over the location of Lutetia, the Iron Age settlement that eventually became Paris. Researchers discovered the 66-foot-long section in February on the Île de la Cité, an island in the Seine River.

They were conducting excavations ahead of planned construction work at Hôtel-Dieu, Paris’ longest-running hospital, which sits across the street from Notre-Dame Cathedral. Behind the wall, researchers found a 6.5-foot-thick platform made of sand and gravel; nearby, they found a Gallic spearhead, charred seeds and the remains of a burned wooden building. With its large blocks and interlocking beam system, the wall may have once formed part of the defensive fortifications surrounding Lutetia, which is Latin for “midwater-dwelling.” Lutetia is believed to have been established by the Gallic Parisii tribe during the third century B.C.E.

The Roman Empire conquered Lutetia in 52 B.C.E. during Julius Caesar’s eight-year campaign against the Gauls, a group of Celtic farmers who lived across what is now France, Belgium, Germany and Italy. Caesar wrote about these battles, including the conquest of Lutetia, which he described as being situated on an island in the Seine River. As Roman legions advanced, the tribe “ordered Lutetia to be set on fire and the bridges belonging to the town to be cut down,” Caesar wrote, according to the New York Times’ Giulia Imbert.

Archaeologists conducting excavations near Notre-Dame Cathedral recently uncovered centuries of French history, including evidence of the city’s Roman occupation after Caesar’s conquest of Lutetia. Historians have long questioned Caesar’s description of Lutetia, however, leaving the settlement’s location a subject of debate. Some scholars thought it might have been in the heart of Paris, or perhaps near the western suburb of Nanterre, based on archaeological discoveries made there in the 1990s.

The newly discovered wall section seems to support Caesar’s account. However, officials say they need to conduct additional research to prove whether the wall was once part of Lutetia. Today, with this wall and its context, we may hold the key to the mystery.” Initial carbon dating suggests that the wall was built between 200 B.C.E. and 10 B.C.E., which is consistent with the known timeline of Lutetia’s settlement.

The evidence of fire seems to further corroborate Caesar’s account. Researchers hope to continue excavating at the site, but the work will be limited to areas undergoing renovations, so progress might be slow. Because the wall is too fragile to be preserved, archaeologists will construct a mold in order to create a replica that can incorporate original stones and eventually be displayed in a Paris museum.