Paris and the Seine River: Antic Sites, Underground Resources and Risks

Abstract

Paris City has developed on both sides of the Seine River. People began living there in the Mesolithic Age, as shown by the knowledge recently gained on early settlements and fluctuations of the river course thanks to excavations carried out with urban renewal projects. The very city (Lutetia) was founded by the Romans at the beginning of the Christian Era. The city benefited from its links with the river that favoured fluvial trade and from its substrate that offers abundant resource for building stones. This wealth explains an exceptional architectural heritage well preserved in the city. Yet, both the river and the old underground quarries are now a factor of potential risks that are carefully surveyed and managed. This chapter aims at reconstructing the different facets of unknown Paris, hidden resources and assets, as a complement to what is usually written on and praised for the City of Light.