Port-Royal is a historic station. Inaugurated on March 31, 1895 in the south of Paris, it was part of the extension of the train line to Luxembourg and its name comes from its proximity to an abbey built in the 17th century. Currently, the terminal is part of line B and stands out for its characteristic architecture, its curved platforms and for having the station house located on the tracks on a metal walkway. Imaginative solutions to the lack of space in the place.
To alleviate the confinement of Port-Royal, the French railway authorities planned a new exit from the station. The start of the works automatically led to an intervention by archaeologists from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP).
As soon as they began digging, the researchers found 50 tombs from an ancient necropolis that offer a rare glimpse into life in Lutetia, the French capital's Gallo-Roman precursor. The analyzes carried out have confirmed that the cemetery found is that of Saint Jacques, the largest burial place of the Parisian tribe.
This Celtic people lived on the banks of the Seine River and inhabited Gaul from the middle of the 3rd century BC until Roman times. Lutetia and Paris, however, have little in common, beyond sharing a position on the Île de la Cité. Although very little remains of the old city, most are on the historic Left Bank, built in the 1970s.
Surprisingly, until now the necropolis had not been found despite the many works that were carried out in this sector of the French capital. INRAP anthropologist Camille Colonna explained to AFP that she "had suspicions" that the Port-Royal station was near the cemetery.
The "Saint Jacques" necropolis had actually already been partially excavated in the 19th century. But those amateur archaeologists only removed items considered precious from the tombs, leaving behind many skeletons, funerary offerings, and other artifacts.
Then, the cemetery was covered over and over again by different architectural layers and ended up being lost in time. The team from the Archaeological Research Institute also discovered a section that had never been excavated before. "No one has seen it since ancient times," they point out.
The experts found a skeleton with a coin in its mouth (a Charon mite), which allowed them to date the burial to the 2nd century AD. In Greek mythology, Charon was the ferryman to Hades, and the coin was considered a bribe to carry the souls of the dead across the River Styx.
The excavation, which began in March, has uncovered 50 graves that were used for burial, not cremation, which was also common at the time. All the remains of the men, women and children found are believed to be from Parisii. The skeletons were buried in wooden coffins and more than half were entombed along with offerings such as jars and ceramic cups.
The archaeologists also found shoes, identifying them by the small nails that would have been in the soles. Colonna said the shoes were placed "either at the feet of the dead or next to them, as an offering." Jewelry, hairpins, belts were also discovered.
The complete skeleton of a pig and another small animal were found in a well where sacrifices to the gods are believed to have been made. Unlike the 19th century excavation, this time the researchers plan to remove everything in the necropolis for analysis. "This will allow us to understand the life of the Parisii through their funeral rites, as well as their health through the study of their DNA," concludes Colonna.
