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An ancient wall discovered in central Paris was hailed as a "major breakthrough" on Wednesday, as the archaeological find may have settled a long-standing debate about the location of the city's original settlement.
A roughly 20-meter (66-foot) wall dating from the Gallo-Roman period was discovered this summer beneath a hospital on the Ile de la Cite, a stone's throw from Notre Dame Cathedral, the French Culture Ministry said.
The stone-and-wood structure is thought to be a fragment of the ramparts of Lutetia—the ancient name for Paris—built by the Gallic Parisii tribe, which lived along the Seine River in the Iron Age.
The Ile de la Cite has traditionally been regarded as the center of Lutetia, but a rival theory, backed by archaeological research, contends that it was actually in Nanterre, a suburb to the west.
"We may be looking at one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia," Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said in a statement that described the discovery as "a major breakthrough."
"Scientific caution still requires that we verify its function and its chronology, but the convergence of evidence is particularly remarkable at this stage."
