PARIS, FRANCE—The Guardian reports that a 65-foot section of ancient wall uncovered in central Paris may be from the ramparts of Lutetia, the original settlement inhabited by the Gallic Parisii tribe. The structure was found under the Hôtel-Diu hospital on the Île de la Cité, near Notre Dame Cathedral. Carbon dating of charred material found along the wall suggests that it burned between 200 and 10 B.C. Julius Caesar’s account of the Gallic Wars mentions that the Gauls burned their town before the Battle of Lutetia against the Romans in 52 B.C. “We may be looking at one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia,” said Catherine Pégard, France’s Culture Minister. “Scientific caution still requires that we verify its function and its chronology, but the convergence of evidence is particularly remarkable at this stage,” she added. For more on Paris' origins, go to "Exploring Notre Dame's Hidden Past."
