PARIS, FRANCE—France 24 reports that a 2,000-year-old Gallic cemetery has been found in Paris on the Left Bank, near what was the ancient city of Lutetia. The necropolis was first discovered in the nineteenth century, but was eventually forgotten. Dominique Garcia of France’s National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) said this section of the cemetery, which was rediscovered during work to construct a new exit for the Port-Royal train station, is intact. A second-century A.D. coin was recovered from the mouth of one of the skeletons, added INRAP anthropologist Camille Colonna. So far, 50 graves have been excavated. Nails left behind in the soil indicate that all of the dead were buried in wooden coffins. Smaller nails in the graves are thought to have come from their shoes. Ceramic jugs and goblets, jewelry, hairpins, and belts were recovered from many of the graves. To read about ongoing archaeological research at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, go to “Exploring Notre Dame’s Hidden Past.”
