Archaeologists discover gaulish wall on the ile de la Cité in Paris

Archaeologists from the Ville de Paris and the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap) discovered a stone wall on the Ile de la Cité, an island in the Seine river in France.

This discovery occurred during renovations at the Hôtel-Dieu. The structure is a "murus gallicus," a type of fortification typical of Gaulish construction techniques. The discovery provides physical evidence for descriptions written by Jules César in his accounts of the Gallic Wars.

The wall shows clear signs of fire damage, and researchers found charred wood and seeds at its base. Dominique Garcia, president of Inrap, says the Gaulish people burned their supplies to show the Roman soldiers that nothing remained for them to take. Behind the wall, the team found a 2-meter layer of sand and gravel, which they believe the Gaulish people used to raise the center of the island to protect it from floods.

For decades, researchers debated whether the ancient city of Lutèce was located on this island or in Nanterre, a nearby town. While Nanterre has a large Gaulish site with economic activities and a mint, the discovery of the wall on the Ile de la Cité supports the idea that Lutèce was located here. Dominique Garcia suggests that Gaulish cities might have been "polynuclear" settlements, where different sites served different purposes, such as a political center and a mint.

Archaeologists plan to dismantle the wall to study its construction and the specific circumstances of the fire. They also intend to create a reconstruction of the wall for a Parisian museum. Nearby, at the Notre-Dame cathedral, the team also found a 4th-century Gallo-Roman street made of stone blocks.