Ancient Gallo-Roman Wall Found Beneath Paris May Confirm City's Original Settlement Site

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient wall beneath the streets of Paris that French officials say could help confirm the location of the city's original settlement, in what the country's culture ministry has described as a "major breakthrough."

The structure, roughly 20 metres (about 65 feet) long, dates from the Gallo-Roman period and was discovered this summer beneath a building on the Île de la Cité, the island in the Seine River near Notre Dame Cathedral. The Île de la Cité is widely regarded as the historical heart of Paris, believed to be the site of the ancient settlement of Lutetia, founded by a Celtic tribe known as the Parisii before the area came under Roman control.

Archaeologists involved in the excavation say the wall's scale and construction offer new physical evidence that could help pinpoint the precise boundaries of the earliest settlement on the island, a question that has long interested historians and archaeologists studying the origins of the French capital.

The discovery is the latest in a series of significant archaeological finds unearthed in and around Paris in recent years, as construction and restoration projects — including extensive work following the 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral — have opened new opportunities for excavation in areas of the city that are normally inaccessible to researchers.

French heritage officials say further analysis of the wall and surrounding site will continue, with researchers hoping additional excavation could reveal more about the layout and scale of the earliest known settlement on the Île de la Cité.