A History of Paris Lecture 1 of 6 Cara Lutetia

Lutetia of the Parisii, a city centered on an island in the middle of a river surrounded by swamps and marshes, attracted little attention for centuries after its foundation in the 3rd century BC.

Serving as a military base during the Roman Empire and occasionally as capital for the Merovingian kings, Paris hardly seemed destined for greatness. The 9th century Viking raids left the city in ashes.