Ancient wall found in central Paris could confirm site of the city’s founding

The wall of wood and stone was found this summer, under a hotel on the island of Île de la Cité in central Paris - or Lutetia, as the city was initially called - and is believed to have been built by the Gallic Parisians who lived along the Seine River during the Iron Age.

"This could be one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia," said French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard in a statement.

Using carbon-14 dating, the remains have been dated to the period 200 to 10 BC, but the minister emphasises that more scientific tests must be carried out on the wall before it is established that this is indeed where Paris was founded.