If the location of Paris during Roman times seems indisputable today, the site of Gallic Lutetia remains mysterious for researchers. Indeed, no significant remains from that period have been found in what was then believed to be the historical heart of the capital. The city may actually have originated in the Paris suburbs… in Hauts-de-Seine.
Archaeological excavations conducted in Paris until the 19th century to uncover the origins of the ancient city have often been rather disappointing. Faced with this lack of evidence, generations of historians have relied on the writings of Julius Caesar in The Gallic Wars to locate Gallic Lutetia (mid-1st century BC). Based on reports from his lieutenants, he describes “Lutetia, the oppidum of the Parisii [a Gallic people settled in what is now the Paris region, which gave its name to the city of Paris], situated on an island in the Seine.” It was thought to be necessarily the Île de la Cité…
In Gaul, an oppidum was an urban site spanning several hectares dedicated to defense and trade. However, numerous archaeological excavations on the Île de la Cité, some dating back to the late 20th century, have never proven significant urban presence on this island before the 4th century AD. Archaeologists and historians then proposed new hypotheses to identify Gallic Lutetia. They began by examining the other islands of the Seine, but once again, nothing substantial was found. They then expanded their search to the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève and later to Saint-Maur, in the Paris suburbs, where traces from the Gallic period were discovered. However, the city is located near a tributary of the Seine, the Marne. Could the Roman genius have confused a river with a stream?
In 2003, new excavations challenged all existing theories. A young archaeologist, Antide Viand, made exceptional discoveries dated between the 3rd century and the 1st century BC in the city of… Nanterre! Riverbank developments, a port, commerce… It is now established that the city of Hauts-de-Seine was an important center of exchange until the end of Gallic independence. It would have gradually been abandoned during the time of Augustus (early AD) and relocated to the site of modern Paris. A new urban structure would then have developed on the Île de la Cité, which the Romans recognized for its numerous strategic advantages, both military and commercial. The beginning of a long history…
One question remains unanswered: How can we explain that the name Lutetia was attributed both to the city of Nanterre and to that of Paris? The hypotheses, which would be tedious to mention here, remain uncertain… One thing is certain: currently, no Parisii site has yielded as many historical elements as Nanterre. But perhaps a future large-scale discovery will bring new pieces to the puzzle of the grand history of Paris!
