chiefdom · France and the Low Countries

Parisii

250 BCE – 52 BCE (approx.) · capital Lutetia

Gallic people of the middle Seine whose town Lutetia became Paris.

Origins

The Parisii settled on the Seine in the 3rd century BCE and controlled river traffic across the Paris basin. Caesar mentions that he held a council of Gaul at Lutetia in 53 BCE. The exact site of their oppidum is debated; excavations at Nanterre have revealed a large Gallic settlement.

Rule and society

They struck fine gold coins, among the most elegant in Gaul. Their wealth came from trade on the Seine, and Roman inscriptions later record a powerful guild of boatmen.

Decline and legacy

In 52 BCE they joined the revolt; the Aulercan leader Camulogenus burned Lutetia and was defeated by Caesar's legate Labienus. Under Rome Lutetia was rebuilt on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, and on the Île de la Cité the boatmen dedicated the Pillar of the Boatmen to Jupiter under Tiberius. In late antiquity the town took the name of the people, Paris.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Parisii. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/parisii
MLA
“Parisii.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/parisii. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Parisii.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/parisii.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Parisii’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/parisii (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻