Paris: a Gallic rampart discovered on the Île de la Cité
The Ministry of Culture describes the discovery, made under the Hôtel-Dieu, as a "major advance" in terms of the origins of the capital.
A rampart dating from the Gallic era has been unearthed on the Île de la Cité, in Paris, under the Hôtel-Dieu, the Ministry of Culture announced on Wednesday, according to an article in Le Monde.
The wall discovered, made of stone and wood, is about twenty meters long. According to the explanations reported, it could be a fragment of the rampart of Lutetia, the ancient Gallic city of the Parisii tribe.
This tribe is mentioned by Julius Caesar in his account of the conquest of the city, in 52 BCE, which gives the discovery a particular resonance for the story of the origins of Paris.
The Ministry of Culture described this find as a "major advance" in the knowledge of the origins of the French capital, without specifying, according to the article, the next steps of the excavations or the timetable for possible additional research on the site.
The discovery is part of a series of archaeological works carried out in recent years under the Hôtel-Dieu and in the Île de la Cité sector, a central historical site in the understanding of the urban development of Paris since antiquity.
Sources
- A Paris, un rempart gaulois découvert sur l’île de la Cité, une « avancée majeure » quant aux origines de la capitale — Le Monde — Une
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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