The recent discovery of an ancient wall in central Paris may confirm the location of the city’s original settlement, and was hailed as a “major breakthrough” on Wednesday.
This may correspond to Caesar’s account of the Gauls setting their town on fire before the Battle of Lutetia against the Romans, AFP reported. The Ile de la Cite, home to Notre Dame Cathedral, is the largest island in the Seine River in Paris region. The Ile de la Cite has traditionally been regarded as the centre of Lutetia, the place where the tribe originally settled. However, a rival theory, backed by archaeological research, had suggested that they had a stronghold in the western suburb of Nanterre, thus making it the location of the city’s origin. The discovery of the wall in Ile de la Cite has emerged as substantial evidence of the origin of the city, with French culture minister Catherine Pegard calling it a “major breakthrough.
The roughly 20-metre (66 foot) wall was discovered beneath a hospital on the Ile de la Cite , a stone’s throw away from Notre Dame Cathedral, AFP cited the French culture ministry as saying. The wall also bears traces of fire and the charred evidence is estimated to date from between 10-200 BC, when verified through the carbon-dating process. The timeframe includes the Battle of Lutetia, which took place in 52 BC, according to the French culture ministry.
“We may be looking at one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia,” AFP cited Pegard as saying. However, the minister urged “scientific caution”, saying this would still need verification of the wall’s function and chronology. “…But the convergence of evidence is particularly remarkable at this stage,” Pegard added. Dorothee Chaoui-Derieux, coordinator of archaeological operations in Paris for the culture ministry, said they were “fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. “All of our predecessors dreamed of finding traces of Gallic presences on the Ile de la Cite,” AFP cited Chaoui-Derieux as saying.
