Ancient and Early Medieval Paris

Background Material to Prepare for Your Part of the Tour

General Sources:

Chronology of Parisian History, 58 BC to 1100 AD
"Introduction," (excerpts) from James H.S. McGregor, Paris from the Ground Up (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2009, pp.2-4
Paris-Lutetia: From earliest times to c. 1000, Colin Jones, Paris: Biography of a City (New York: Viking, 2005), pp.1, 11-13,15-17.
- Paris (Lutetia) as a Roman City
- The Decline and Fall of Roman Paris
For a fascinating set of images of what we think the sites that you will be visiting looked like in ancient Roman period you can visit http://jeanclaudegolvin.com/lutetia-lutece-paris-2/

This should give you a very brief overview of the period. You can fill in the details relevant tospecific sites from the other sources below.

Sites on our Tour of PreModern Paris Relevant to Ancient and Early Medieval Paris

Between Points A (Pont Neuf) and B (Crypte Achéologique)

As we walk from point A and B along the Ile de la Cité, the Place du Chatelet will be visible across the Seine on our left. If you wish to mention the Viking attacks on Paris,this would be a good place to do so, since much of the fighting during the siege of the city occurred on a bridge at this point.

Sources:

The Viking Invasions ( McGregor, Paris from the Ground Up, pp.33-35)

B Crypte Achéologique and Notre Dame

In the 1960s a giant underground parking lot was constructed beneath this part of Paris, and in process the ruins of the ancient and medieval city were discovered. The space has been turned into a small museum, where there are traces of Roman Paris (Lutetia) and exhibits about life in the city in that period, Your team will have time to explore the Crypt, and then you will lead the rest of the class on a tour around the space, sharing with them some of what you learned in researching the period from 200 BC to 1200 AD. You can also use the models of the city at various points in its past to talk about how the city changed in the period that you are considering.

We will be pausing in the place in front of Notre Dame. This would be a location to discuss the Christianization of Paris, or you could wait until later when we are on Mont Sainte Saint-Geneviève

Sources:

The Original Site of the City (Sonia, Alison, and Rebecca Landes, Paris Walks (New York: Henry Holt, 2005), pp.3-4

Thirza Vallois, "Ancient Paris: Looking for Lutetia"

The layout of the city and principal buildings (James H.S. McGregor, Paris from the Ground Up, 14-16.)

Heating System for 4th Century Baths in the Crypte Achéologique

D The Roman Baths

We will not be able to enter the ruins of the Roman Baths because the Musée Cluny is closed on Tuesdays. But we should have a good view of the remaining walls from the outside, and this will provide another good occasion for your group to share what you have learned about ancient Lutetia.

Sources:

The Roman Baths (James H.S. McGregor, Paris from the Ground Up, 14-16.)

Street View of the Ruins of the Roman Bath in Paris

E. Panthéon/Montagne Sainte-Geneviève

As we to pass the Panthéon, we will be walking through the area that was once covered by the Forum of Lutetia. Beyond the Panthéon, we will be walking through the area where Saint Genevieve was buried and where a great abbey eventually was build in the later Middle Ages.

Sources:

The Forum of Lutetia (Thirza Vallois, "Ancient Paris: Looking for Lutetia")

The Christianization of Paris, (McGregor, Paris from the Ground Up, pp.22-25)

The Early Middle Ages in Paris ( McGregor, Paris from the Ground Up, pp.26-32)

Panthéon, Site of the Forum of Lutetia

F. The Roman Arena

After we leave the Panthéon/Montagne Sainte-Geneviève we will be visited the site of the arena of Lutetia

Source: Arènes de Lutèce (Wikipoedia)

The Site of the Area of Lutece

Animation of Paris Across the Centuries

Click here for an presentation of the development of Paris. Animators have imagined what Parislooked like at various periods and created a 13-minute video that allows you to fly through the city in each era. It was, of course, necessary to make guesses about what things must have looked like at various periods, but it is fascinating to get a general idea of how the city has changed visually over more than 2000 years. The most relevant sections for your group will be the first two sections that present the Gaulish village that existed before the Romans arrived and Lutetia, Roman Paris.

Reconstruction of Roman Paris