Global Mysteries

The mysterious link between the beautiful modern city of Paris and an ancient fishing village is shrouded in the dense fog of a long-ago time. Over two thousand years ago, a Celtic tribe of fishermen settled on an ideal island in the middle of the Sequana River that runs through the center of Paris. The Celtic tribe called their village of thatched-roofed, mud huts, Lucotocia, a pre-Celtic word meaning marsh, a perfect description of the swampy land on which they lived. Later the Roman conquerors renamed the village Lutetia or Lutèce.

This small village was the origin of Paris. The modern name for the Sequana River is the Seine. Lucotocia Island today is called Cité and is the heart of modern Paris with famous sites like Notre Dame Cathedral, Police Headquarters and the beautiful Sainte Chapelle.

There’s more. The name of the Celtic tribe of Lucotocia was Parisii which means Boat People. This name fit because the only way villagers could travel to and from their island home was by primitive boats. What is the significance of the Parisii tribe? You guessed it. The origin of the name of the city of Paris, one of the most important world capitols, comes from the humble Parisii people.

Historians have only scratched the surface of the mysterious links between Paris and these ancient Celts but the research into the mystery continues.

You can visit the Île de la Cité in my newest novel, “Murder on the Seine”

More about the Paris mystery

The Arénes de Lutèce: A Roman Amphitheatre in the Middle of Paris