The oldest traces of human occupation in Paris are human bones and evidence of an encampment of hunter-gatherers dating from about 8000 BC, during the Mesolithic period.
Between 250 and … See more

Between 250 and 225 BC, during the Iron Age, the Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, settled on the banks of the Seine. At the … See more

Clovis I and his successors of the Merovingian dynasty built a host of religious edifices in Paris: a basilica on the Montagne Sainte … See more

At the beginning of the 12th century, the French kings of the Capetian dynasty controlled little more than Paris and the surrounding region, … See more

In 2008, archaeologists of the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP) (administered by France's See more

The Romans built an entirely new city as a base for their soldiers and the Gallic auxiliaries intended to keep an eye on the rebellious province. The new city was called Lutetia (Lutèce) or "Lutetia Parisiorum" ("Lutèce of the Parisii"). The name probably … See more

By 1500, Paris had regained its former prosperity, and the population reached 250,000. Each new king of France added buildings, bridges … See more