A Short History of Paris: How the City Became the City
By Hafid Assaoui · 2026-07-04
A licensed Paris guide tells the story of Paris in ten chapters — from the Parisii tribe to Haussmann's boulevards — with the monuments that survive from each era.
Paris did not become Paris by accident. Every wall you touch belongs to a chapter. Here is the shortest version I can tell without lying. 1. The Parisii — a fishing tribe on an island (~250 BC) A Celtic tribe called the Parisii settled on the largest island in the Seine — today''s Île de la Cité. They minted gold coins and traded up and down the river. 2. Roman Lutetia (52 BC – 486 AD) Julius Caesar''s lieutenant Labienus defeated the Parisii…