Paris would not have existed without the Seine. The river provided early peoples with the means to exploit the land, forests, marshes and islands. Recent excavations have unearthed canoes dating back to 4,500 BC, well before a Celtic tribe, known as the Parisii, settled there in the 3rd-century BC, in an area known as Lutetia. From 59 BC, the Romans undertook the conquest of Gaul (France). Seven years later Lutetia was sacked by the Romans. They fortified and rebuilt it, especially the main island (the Ile de la Cité) and the Left Bank of the Seine.

Where to see Gallo-Roman Paris?

Since the mid-19th century, excavations have yielded evidence of the boundaries of the Roman city which had as its central axes the present-day rue St-Jacques and rue Soufflot. In the crypte Archéologique under the square of Notre-Dame can be seen the remains of Gallo-Roman houses and Roman ramparts dating from the end of the 3rd centure AD. Other Roman sites in Paris are the Arène de Lutèce and the baths at the Musée de Cluny.

Medieval Paris