View from the top of the Tour Eiffel
The history of Paris starts with a humble settlement by a tribe of Celtic fishermen in around 259 BC. Since then it has enjoyed a long and illustrious history to become the thriving metropolis that it is today. Here is a brief roundup of some of the key events in the history of Paris.The area around L’Ile de la Cité was first settled around 259 BC, when the Parisii, who were a tribe of Celtic fishermen, discovered the fertile banks of the River Seine. They named their new home Lutetia. In 52 BC, Julius Caesar’s Roman army took the city, and it became part of the Roman Empire, within the territory known as Gaul. It was later invaded by the Franks and Normans and became known as Lutetia Paris.