They were holding down the fort.
A Celtic fort, which was destroyed by Julius Caesar around 2,000 years ago, has reportedly been discovered, shedding light on a mystery that has perplexed historians for ages.
It seems the fortification hadn’t completely disappeared; rather, it was buried underground. Archaeologists found a wall and other potential artifacts beneath a hospital in Paris, close to Notre Dame.
“This discovery fills an archaeological gap,” Stéphane Deschamps, a regional curator of archaeology at Île-de-France Regional Archaeology Service (DRAC), stated, as noted by Livescience.
The fort was used to defend Lutetia, a Celtic settlement that existed on an island in the River Seine, in what we now refer to as the City of Light.
During the Gallic Wars, from 58 to 50 B.C., this outpost faced a siege by Caesar’s troops. The Dictator for Life is said to have defeated the defenders in the Battle of Lutetia in 52 B.C. However, the inhabitants managed to set the settlement ablaze and cut off the bridges, effectively preventing it from being captured by the Romans.
After this fiery end, the fort seemingly vanished from history.
Recently, in February, while excavating the courtyard of Hôtel-Dieu, Paris’s oldest active hospital, archaeologists uncovered a 65-foot long charred wall made of stone and timber, featuring a distinctly Celtic style.
“The wall’s architecture, with its large blocks and interlocking beam system, immediately led us to believe it was a wall of Gallic tradition,” said Dorothée Chaoui-Derieux, DRAC’s chief curator of heritage, in a translated statement.
At the base of this ancient structure, researchers found a Gallic spearhead. Nearby, they identified burnt seeds and remnants of a charred wooden building, suggesting that the site had experienced a fierce fire.
By carbon dating the wooden pieces, scientists concluded that they dated back to between 200 and 10 B.C., according to Chaoui-Derieux.
Taking all these findings into account, the researchers speculate that they might have unlocked “the key to the mystery” of Lutetia, as Deschamps expressed.
If their theory holds water, this could represent “one of the most significant remains ever uncovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia,” remarked France’s Minister of Culture, Catherine Pégard, during a conference last month. She added, however, that “its function and chronology still need to be verified.”
