An ancient wall discovered in Paris may redraw the map of the French capital's early beginnings, after the authorities announced that its discovery represents a "major achievement" that would contribute to resolving a long archaeological controversy regarding the location of the city's first population center.
According to what was reported by media outlets, including the British newspaper The Guardian, the French Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of a wall dating back to the Gallo-Roman era, extending about 20 metres, during excavations conducted this summer under a hospital on the island of Ile de la Cité, close to Notre Dame Cathedral.
It is believed that the wall, built of stone and wood, was part of the walls of “Lutetia,” the old name of Paris, built by the Gallic “Parisi” tribe, which lived on the banks of the Seine during the Iron Age.
The island of Ile de la Cité is traditionally considered the center of “Lutetia”, but another theory, supported by archaeological research, suggests that its original location was in Nanterre, one of the suburbs located west of the French capital.
French Culture Minister Catherine Bigard said in a statement, “What was found may be among the most important archaeological remains ever discovered for understanding Lutetia in the time of the Gauls,” describing the discovery as a “major achievement.”
She added, "Scientific caution still requires verifying the function of this wall and its chronology, but the convergence of evidence is particularly striking at this stage."
The first mention of “Lutetia” dates back to the seventh book of the Roman leader Julius Caesar’s book, “The Gallic Wars.” He described it as being located on an island in the Seine River, and connected by bridges to both banks of the river. These descriptions, which were not conclusive enough to determine its location, opened the door to multiple theories regarding the location of the ancient city.
The wall, which was discovered during excavations under the Hotel Dieu Hospital, bears traces of a fire that may correspond to Julius Caesar's story about the Gauls burning their city before the Battle of Lutetia against the Romans.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Culture, the results of carbon dating of the charred materials indicate that they date back to the period extending between the years 200 and 10 BC, a stage that includes the battle that took place in 52 BC.
The island of Ile de la Cité, which houses the Notre Dame Cathedral, is the largest island in the Seine River within the Paris region, and it became the center of the Roman settlement of Lutetia.
After inspecting the wall on Wednesday, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said: “It is amazing to be here and discover what is likely the origin of the city of Paris.”
The height of the wall does not exceed one meter, and it remains buried at a depth of four meters in the courtyard of the Hotel Dieu Hospital, the oldest hospital in the French capital.
For her part, the Coordinator of Archaeological Operations in Paris at the Ministry of Culture, Dorothy Chaoui Dirieux, said: “All our ancestors dreamed of finding traces of the ancient presence of the Gauls on the Ile de la Cité.”
She added: “A lot of speculation has been raised about this topic, and we are fortunate that we are in the right place at the right time,” noting that “this wall, built in the expensive style, is gradually revealing its secrets.”
The Colosseum in the Italian capital, Rome, was closed on Wednesday for one day, to mourn the death of a worker who died as a result of an accident that occurred during the night during the work of installing a new lighting system inside the ancient amphitheater, at a time when the authorities ordered the cessation of construction and maintenance work on the site until further notice.
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Gioli ordered the closure of the Colosseum as an expression of respect and mourning for the death of Andrea Moretti, a 22-year-old technician, who died after falling from a height of several meters while working on installing the new lighting system inside the ancient Roman amphitheater, according to the New York Post.
The Colosseum, which was built about two thousand years ago, was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire, and was used to hold gladiator fights, executions, and animal hunting shows. Today, the archaeological landmark is one of the most visited tourist sites in Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her sadness over Moretti's death, saying: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death of Andrea Moretti, a skilled worker who died during the night...”
In addition to the closure of the Colosseum, the Minister of Culture ordered the cessation of all construction and maintenance work at the site until further notice, after only a partial closure of the landmark had been initially announced.
The partial closure decision sparked protests from Italy's largest trade union, the CGIL, which demanded more stringent measures following the incident.
“Humanity comes before tourists,” said Natale De Cola, head of the CGIL union in Rome, adding that the union is calling on Minister Gioli to clarify all the circumstances surrounding the Moretti incident.
This incident comes less than a year after the death of another Roman worker who was trapped for hours under the rubble of a medieval tower, after part of it collapsed near the Colosseum last November.
A New York judge today (Tuesday) sentenced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a former production assistant in 2006, following his conviction in a retrial that took place last year.
Weinstein, 74 years old, was convicted in June 2025 of a first-degree sexual offense for assaulting Miriam Haley in his Manhattan apartment, at the end of a six-year legal saga that saw New York’s highest court overturn a conviction that had been issued in 2020. Weinstein denied the assault. On anyone or have sex without the consent of the other party.
Today, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg praised Haley for her testimony and said he was touched by her courage.
A Weinstein spokesman said in a statement that Weinstein maintains his innocence and strongly objects to the ruling issued by Judge Curtis Farber.
Weinstein was convicted for the first time in New York in 2020 for assaulting Healy and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. New York's highest court overturned that conviction in 2024, considering that he did not receive a fair trial.
At his retrial in 2025, jurors found him guilty of charges related to Healy, acquitted of assault on former model Kaja Sokola, and were unable to reach a decision on the rape charge related to Mann.
A third trial on the Mann charge ended without a verdict in May. Prosecutors dropped the charge the following month after Mann said she did not want to testify in a fourth trial.
